Bleach - TYBW Abridged Rework
by CohenTyPa
Summary: A brief overview of my take on the final arc of Bleach. What if Ywach weren't the son of the Soul King? What if the plot was a little more focused? I try to answer these questions in this abridged rework.
1. Chapter 1

**\- Before the War -**

\- We are introduced to two rookie Shinigami, Yuki Ryuunosuke and his companion Madarame Shino, who are sent to Karakura Town to take over guardian duties there. Shortly after arriving, they are attacked by a large group of hollows and nearly killed. However, Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends arrive in the nick of time to save them.

\- Days later, Ryuunosuke regains consciousness in Ichigo's room, where he is reunited with Shino. Ichigo and his friends brief the pair on an unusual number of hollow appearances occurring in the area, and offer to lend a hand while the rookies find their bearings. Only Ishida Uryu opts out.

\- While Ichigo is helping the rookie Shinigami, Ishida conducts an investigation. He found evidence that someone made use of hollow bait at the scene where Yuki Ryuunosuke and Shino were attacked. He deduces that someone is leaving him a trail to follow, and, with the possibility of a trap in mind, he follows the trail.

^ Ishida comes across a man in a white uniform. From behind, Ishida sees the man crushing hollow bait before running off into the night. Once the mystery man stops, he turns to face Ishida. He introduces himself as Quilge Opie, a Quincy.

^ Ishida is stunned by the arrival of a Quincy, all of which he thought dead and gone besides himself and his father. He confronts the self-proclaimed Quincy, threatening him for information. Quilge demonstrates his abilities, drawing in Reishi from the surroundings and firing off bolts of energy. A quick flash of a Quincy charm wraps up the demonstration. Ishida is convinced, and Quilge offers to guide him to the Quincy base, the Wandenreich.

\- Meanwhile, in the Soul Society, a battle suddenly breaks out. The scale is small, only involving a handful of powerful attackers ambushing a group of Shinigami, however the ramifications of this fight are enormous.

^ Shortly after receiving a report of the incident, Yamamoto Genryuusai is confronted by a small group wearing white uniforms. He is at first annoyed by their appearance, recognizing them as Quincy, but this soon turns to fury as a large man (Driscoll Berci) steps forward to drop the broken sword of 1st Squad Vice-Captain Sasakibe Choujiro. The Quincy immediately retreat, their threat delivered. Yamamoto calls for the Squad Captains to gather.

^ The Quincy insurgents return to their leader, Yhwach, flanked by his number two Jugram Haschwalth. They deliver a report, and Yhwach comments that things are just about ready.

\- Back in Karakura Town, Ryuunosuke receives a call. He and Shino have been called back to the Soul Society to attend Sasakibe Choujiro's funeral. Ichigo and company are left in a somber mood, wondering where Ishida might be.

\- Ishida's eyes are wide as Quilge Opie guides him through the grounds of the Wandenreich. Everywhere he looks there are Quincies. Hundreds, if not thousands of them. He ponders why he was never told about this place, and why he was led to believe that the Quincies were no more.

^ Quilge takes Ishida to Jugram Haschwalth, then departs to prepare for his next assignment. Haschwalth takes Ishida's questions, telling him about the injustice perpetrated against the Quincy by the Shinigami and their leaders. He tells Ishida that the Quincies' ultimate goal is to remake the world to fit reflect their values.

^ Although he was skeptical of Haschwalth's words at first, Ishida finds himself agreeing with his words, accompanied by a strange sensation in the back of his mind. Haschwalth informs Ishida that he has the ability to grant power to Quincies that join in their cause. Ishida accepts the invitation to work towards a new world, unaware that he has been manipulated. Haschwalth hands Ishida off to another Quincy, then returns to Yhwach's side.

^ Haschwalth tells Yhwach that he has recruited Ishida Uryu. We then learn about Haschwalth's ability. He is able to pull power from one source and distribute it to any number of vessels (i.e. the Quincy). At the same time, those that receive this power are influenced, resulting in a kind of soft brainwashing. Yhwach notes that the time has come to gather the Sternritter.


	2. Chapter 2

**\- The Initial Invasion -**

\- With Ryuunosuke and Shino gone, Ichigo continues to combat the unusual number of hollows in Karakura Town. When he feels a particularly large group suddenly appear and then vanish, he rushes to the scene.

^ Arriving where he felt the hollows, Ichigo meets Quilge Opie, who greets him politely. Ichigo regards Quilge with suspicion while he explains his use of the hollow bait and his duties as a Quincy. Unfortunately, Ichigo doesn't particularly care. He raises his sword to which Quilge responds with his own.

^ The fight commences with both combatants on fairly equal footing. However, after only a short exchange, Ichigo has a clear advantage all around. Chad and Orihime arrive at this time, unsure of what to think about this new enemy.

^ Feeling Ichigo's superior power, Quilge pulls out his trump card, the Quincy Vollstandig. He undergoes a flashy transformation, emerging from a pillar of blue flame with glowing blue wings, a sort of halo, and dramatically increased abilities. Before Ichigo can test himself against this new form, though, Quilge reveals his other power. With his power, he was granted the title of Sternritter "J", The Jail. Using this power, Quilge traps Ichigo in a seemingly impenetrable cage.

^ With Ichigo trapped, Chad and Orihime step up to face Quilge.

\- At the same time, a calamitous event occurs in the Soul Society. With little warning outside of a very bad feeling, a massive white fortress surrounded by forest appears, as if bleeding from the shadows, within the walls of the Seireitei. The Initial Invasion begins.

^ Before the Shinigami can react to the arrival of the Wandenreich, enormous blue pillars of concentrated Reishi erupt all around. From these pillars emerge the Sternritter and Quincy soldiers.

^ Squad 3 Vice-Captain Kira Izuru gathers other combatants gather outside of one of the pillars. As the pillars dissipate, a powerful blast erupts out, tearing through Izuru, killing him. The Sternritter that emerges from the pillar proceeds to kill the other Shinigami as well.

^ We then see a number of Captains confronting other Sternritter.

Squad 8 Captain Kyouraku Shunsui is met by Sternritter "N" Robert Accutrone.

Squad 2 Captain Soi Fon is met by Sternritter "I" Cang Du.

Squad 11 Captain Zaraki Kenpachi is met by Sternritter "Q" Berenice Gabrielli, Sternritter "Σ" Shazz Domino, and Sternritter "Y" Loyd Lloyd.

Squad 10 Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro is met by Sternritter "R" Jerome Guizbatt.

Squad 6 Captain Kuchiki Byakuya is met by Sternritter "F" As Nodt and Sternritter "S" Mask De Masculine.

Squad 7 Captain Komamura Sajin is met by Sternritter "E" Bambietta Basterbine.

Squad 3 Captain Otoribashi Rojuro is met by Sternritter "U" Nanana Najahkoop.

\- Otoribashi Rojuro receives word that his Vice-Captain has been slain. He and the Quincy exchange threats.

\- Squad 6 Vice-Captain Abarai Renji and Squad 13's Kuchiki Rukia meet up with Kuchiki Byakuya as the Sternritter approach. They regard each other with caution.

^ The Shinigami form up to fight 3-on-2, but the Sternritter are not having it. Mask takes it on himself to take the weaker two out of the picture. Byakuya moves to defend them, but he is intercepted by As Nodt. As Mask disappears to eliminate the other two, Byakuya is faced with As Nodt's Schrift, The Fear.

^ At first, it seems as if Byakuya has the advantage. His Bankai, Senbon Zakura Kageyoshi, surrounds both combatants, threatening to envelop the Quincy. As Nodt is unfazed, however. He begins a monologue, going on about the power of fear. Slowly but surely, The Fear begins to affect Byakuya, causing horrible hallucinations and breaking apart Byakuya's composure. He desperately strikes at As Nodt, but Mask appears behind him while he is distracted.

\- Squad 10 Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro, backed up by his Lieutenant Matsumoto Rangiku confront a rather large Quincy with the form of an Ape. They prepare to fight, Toshiro with his Bankai and Rangiku dispersing her dust. The Quincy, Jerome Guizbatt, stretches his jaw.

\- Sternritter "I" Cang Du steps up to Squad 2 Captain Soi Fon and Vice Captain Omaeda Marechiyo. He takes a martial arts stance and his skin begins to harden. Soi Fon accepts his challenge, preparing to strike with her Shikai, Suzumebachi.

\- Sternritter "E" Bambietta Basterbine excitedly stares down Squad 7 Captain Komamura Sajin as he levels his sword against her. The giant phantom limb of his Shikai appears menacingly above him.

\- Squad 8 Captain Kyouraku Shunsui kneels before Sternritter "N" Robert Accutrone. The Quincy holds a smoking gun, looking down on the injured Captain. Shunsui looks up, revealing a bloody eye socket.

\- Ishida Uryu moves quickly through the streets of the Soul Society. His mission is simple: Locate Squad 13 Captain Ukitake Juushiro and relay his location to the Sternritter. Something feels off about the mission. Part of it is his history with the Gotei 13, the times he's fought against and with them. The other part bothering him is his target. Why Ukitake Juushiro? Before he can give it much thought, he runs across Squad 12 Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri.

\- We divert back to Karakura town. Ichigo is still trapped, desperately trying to get out of The Jail. Chad and Orihime are making an admirable effort to defeat Quilge, but the Quincy's Vollstandig power is just too great. He systematically wears them down, critically injuring both Fullbringers.

^ Seeing his friends being beaten, Ichigo goes berserk. He hacks at The Jail, putting all of his strength into his strikes again and again. But it's no use. The Jail is impenetrable by anyone other than a Quincy. It shocks Quilge, then, when he sees the bars of his Jail begin to crack under Ichigo's onslaught. Wisps of white/blue energy start to mix with the usual black of Getsuga Tensho, becoming more prominent with each hit.

^ Eventually, The Jail shatters. Ichigo rushes to his friends' aid, but Quilge has already fled by the time he touches down. Ichigo rushes Chad and Orihime to Urahara Shop for help.

\- Kuchiki Byakuya nurses an injured arm as he dodges the combined attacks of Mask and As Nodt. He unleashes Senbon Zakura as best he can, but his attacks are mostly ineffective. Between As Nodt's Fear and Mask's incredible strength and stamina, all he can really do is lead the Quincies away from Rukia and Renji.

^ With As Nodt attacking from a distance and Mask getting up close, Byakuya comes up with a plan, but his Fear-addled mind can't keep it straight. He moves to attack As Nodt directly, but is stricken by a horrible vision. He turns to duke it out with Mask, but he can do little more than defend against the relentless attacks from both Quincies.

^ In the end, he resolves to stand firm and face his opponents like a Captain of the Gotei 13. He positions himself so that both Quincies are in his range, and unleashes one final attack. His petals engulf Mask and As Nodt, seemingly holding them down, but then Byakuya is assaulted by more visions. They threaten to break his concentration and weaken his attack, but he holds. More visions come to him, but still, with much effort, he holds firm. Then he sees a vision of Rukia rotting away, and he wavers. Mask seizes the opportunity and charges through the petals, landing a devastating blow.

^ As he is brutalized by the Quincies, Byakuya hopes that he led them far enough from the others to keep them safe. He offers sage advice to Renji and Rukia in his mind, hoping that they continue to grow stronger. As Mask launches a flashy special attack, Byakuya wonders if he acted appropriately as the head of the Kuchiki clan.

\- Squad 1 Captain Yamamoto Genryuusai senses the rapid disappearance of the Shinigami forces, including one Captain class Reiatsu. He decides to take the field.

\- Squad 8 Captain Kyouraku Shunsui and Sternritter "N" Robert Accutrone, both heavily damaged now, take notice of Yamamoto's move. Shunsui takes a breath and informs Accutrone that the Captains can't just sit around if the Captain Commander is stepping out.

\- Omaeda Marechiyo lends his shoulder to a battle damaged Soi Fon. They leave the body of Cang Du, covered in different Hornet Crests, as it is consumed by Suzumebachi's effect.

\- Squad 3 Captain Otoribashi Rojuro retracts his Shikai and steps away from the corpse of Sternritter "U" Nanana Najahkoop.

\- Shunsui and Accutrone clash and step back. The fight seems to be even, but Accutrone declares that the Quincies, also, can't afford to sit around.

\- Yhwach steps out into the Soul Society with Jugram Haschwalth close behind. He regards the smoke rising from various battles across the Seireitei with satisfaction. He offers a silent challenge to Yamamoto.

^ Yhwach is only slightly surprised when one of the Special War Potentials, Squad 11 Captain Zaraki Kenpachi, appears carrying the bodies of Sternritters "Q", "Y", and "Σ". Kenpachi drops his kills and explains how underwhelming they were. He challenges Yhwach, who accepts.

\- Toshiro falls to his knees, his Bankai shattered and his petals almost completely gone. Rangiku lies unconscious behind him. Jerome Guizbatt taunts them, looking like a giant ape. Demanding that weaklings get out of his sight, he uses his ability, The Roar, and blows Toshiro and Rangiku far away with his massive voice.

\- Komamura Sajin's Bankai stands stiff, mid-swing, as Sajin is engulfed in explosions. He falls, taking heavy damage. Bambietta laughs sadistically and snaps her fingers, leaving Sajin for dead in another large explosion.

\- Mask De Masculine and As Nodt banter casually after decimating Byakuya, who is left beaten to a bloody pulp. His injuries are fatal. Renji and Rukia are left severely injured.

\- Squad 9 Vice-Captain Hisagi Shuhei is backed into a corner by Sternritter "O" Driscoll Bercci. He explains his power, The Overkill, before preparing to kill Shuhei. Then Yamamoto arrives.

^ Bercci recognizes Yamamoto immediately and begins to taunt him with his Vice-Captain's death. Yamamoto seems to take these taunts in stride, keeping his cool and withstanding the Quincy's attacks without so much as flinching.

^Yamamoto lashes out, roaring along with his Zanpakuto's flames as he incinerates Bercci in an instant. His Vice-Captain avenged, Yamamoto makes a b-line for Yhwach.

\- When Yamamoto arrives, Yhwach is tossing Kenpachi aside. The Squad 11 Captain gave him less trouble than expected, but there are noticeable signs of damage on his person, and Haschwalth lays severely injured nearby. He boasts that raw power on its own is useless against one that is destined to rule the world.

^Yamamoto challenges that, and is ambushed by Sternritters "F", "S", and "K". He swats them away with little effort. When he turns back to Yhwach, he activates his Bankai, Zanka no Tachi. What follows is a fight that sees Yamamoto's power completely overpowering Yhwach at every turn.

^ Yamamoto activates the different stages of his Bankai to overwhelm Yhwach, going so far as to raise his old comrades to fight. Backed into a corner, Yhwach invokes a power that Yamamoto has not seen before. A dark, undulating shadow resembling a hand springs out of the ground behind Yhwach, in contrast to the white/blue energies that Quincies, even Yhwach, usually produce. His wounds begin to heal, and his hesitance to strike down the burning souls of his comrades disappears as he is enveloped in this powerful dark energy.

^ The tide of the battle turns in Yhwach's favor. His new power allows him to blast through Yamamoto's flames. In a flurry of explosive clashes, the two old enemies trade blows in earnest, testing their skills against each other. Sensing that his Bankai will soon destroy everything, Soul Society included, Yamamoto makes the decision to deactivate it, leaving himself open against Yhwach's new power, but ensuring that the Seireitei isn't immediately destroyed. Yhwach seizes this chance and strikes down Yamamoto.

\- The aftershocks of the fight between Yamamoto and Yhwach spread throughout the Soul Society.

^ Shunsui looks grimly down at the corpse of Accutrone, sensing the death of the Captain Commander. Blood streams from his vacant eye socket like streaking tears.

^ Squad 4 Captain Unohana Retsu stares out over the battle worn Seireitei, wide-eyed.

^ The other Captains, save for those that lay defeated react to Yamamoto's death in their own ways. Some express shock, others anger. One question passes through all of their minds. How could this happen?

\- Yhwach and Haschwalth regard the dead Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, commenting on the loss of one Special War Potential for the Shinigami. Soon thereafter, Yhwach collapses, the use of that dark power taking its toll on his body. Haschwalth helps him retreat and sends the signal for the Quincy forces to do the same.

^ The regular Quincy forces and the remaining Sternritter pull back to the Wandenreich. A front line develops along the boundary between the Quincy base and the Soul Society.

\- Both forces begin licking their wounds.


	3. Chapter 3

**\- Intermission -**

\- The remaining Captains of the Gotei 13 gather to discuss their next course of action. Tensions flare, but a calm scolding from Squad 8 Captain Kyouraku Shunsui returns the group's composure.

\- Standing by at Urahara Shop, Ichigo receives a message from Soul Society. He is told to come to the Research Division immediately. The urgency in the message worries Urahara Kisuke, who opens the Senkaimon for Ichigo and promises to look after Chad and Orihime.

\- Upon arriving in Soul Society, Ichigo is surrounded by grim looking Shinigami. They respond to his questions with suspicious scowls. It doesn't take long for Ichigo to notice the devastation.

\- The Shinigami lead Ichigo to the headquarters of Squad 12. They take him to Squad 12 Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri, in a room with a large mirror.

^ Kurotsuchi tells Ichigo plainly, how the Soul Society was invaded, and how the invaders were Quincies. Ichigo's shock is genuine. To think that there was not just one other Quincy besides Ishida, but an entire army of them. Kurotsuchi narrows his eyes at Ichigo and asks him if he knows the whereabouts of Ishida Uryu.

^ The room on the other side of the mirror lights up, and Ichigo sees Ishida strapped to a table. Numerous instruments are attached to his unconscious body. Ichigo demands an explanation, but Kurotsuchi responds by calling on a group of guards. He questions Ichigo about his friend's actions during the invasion, and about the Quincy Reishi detected within Ichigo himself. Ichigo is at a loss. He has no idea what is going on. Kurotsuchi knows this, however.

\- Captain Kurotsuchi brings Ichigo into the room where Ishida is being held, and begins to explain what he's managed to deduce since the Quincy invasion.

^ At the Captain's order, Ishida is revived, giving Ichigo a chance to question him directly. Ishida tries to answer, but has difficulty making out parts of his memory. One thing he knows for sure, though, is that he believed he was doing to the right thing, whatever that was. Kurotsuchi steps in as the tension between the two grows intense.

^ Comparing Ishida during the invasion to his Reishi in the past, Kurotsuchi was able to identify a foreign power boosting his strength and influencing him. Using that knowledge, he is able to isolate and analyze that foreign power, giving him insight into ways to counter the Quincy power. It also allows him to determine that Ichigo's new Quincy power is unrelated to the invading force.

\- Captain Kyouraku enters the room. He ignores Captain Kurotsuchi's musings about the possibilities accompanying all of this new data, and guides Ichigo and Ishida out. Their next destination is the Squad 4 barracks.

^ Ichigo and Ishida are informed of the deaths of Yamamoto Genryuusai, Kuchiki Byakuya, and Kira Izuru. The pair are stunned beyond words as they are led to the room where Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji are being treated. Neither of them have much to say, as the loss of Byakuya harms them much more than their physical injuries do.

^ Ichigo assures the both of them that next time he will be there to fight with them. Rukia thanks him. Renji says nothing. Ishida stands in the doorway, silently berating himself.

\- Squad 8 Vice-Captain Ise Nanao discretely informs Kyouraku that the members of Squad 0 are on their way to the Seireitei. Kyouraku sends for the other Captains to gather for their coming.

^ The Squad Captains gather at the site of Squad 0's descent. They are all apprehensive. Why didn't the 0 Squad come sooner? Why should the Gotei 13 rely on such an unreliable group? All of the Captains feel this way, some more than others.

^ Captain Kurotsuchi approaches Captains Komamura and Hitsugaya with a proposition. They lost their battles to the Quincies, but he might be able to give them a boost. Komamura refuses outright, stating that he will take it upon himself to grow stronger. Hitsugaya refuses vehemently. He distrusts Kurotsuchi almost as much as he distrusts Squad 0.

\- Squad 0 lands. The five members of Squad 0 emerge, ignoring the tension and resentment coming from the exhausted Captains. Immediately, they greet the Captains.

^ Kirinji Tenshirou approaches Captain Unohana and reprimands her for her lack of effectiveness in the prior conflict. If she had been using the techniques he taught her properly, then maybe they could have prevented a great number of deaths. Unohana takes this criticism quietly.

^ Hikifune Kirio, former Squad 12 Captain, happily greets Captain Hirako, who does not recognize her at first.

^ Captain Kurotsuchi and Shutara Senjumaru exchange a knowing look that is loaded with venom and displeasure.

^ Captain Kyouraku interrupts the pleasantries in order to get down to business. He asks the Squad 0 Commander, Hyousube Ichibe, why they have come down from the Soul King's Palace. Captain Soi Fon cuts in to chew the members of Squad 0 out, but she is interrupted by Kirinji, who asserts that Squad 0's job is to protect the Soul King. The Soul Society is the Gotei 13's job.

^ Hyousube scolds Kirinji's poor manners, but ultimately agrees with him. Their job is to protect the Soul King and support the system of balance that He established. In light of recent events- the sudden appearance of an enemy fortress _within_ Soul Society itself, and the death of Yamamoto Genryuusai in particular-have necessitated Squad 0's intervention. The Gotei 13 has failed in their duties, so Squad 0 must step in to ensure the enemy comes no closer to the Soul King.

\- Ichigo sits beside Rukia and Renji's beds. They are in much higher spirits than they were before. Though, that isn't saying much. Ishida continues to seclude himself. Squad 0, trailed by the Gotei Captains, barge into the Squad 4 barracks.

^ Hyousube Ichibe seeks out Kurosaki Ichigo and delivers a hearty greeting. Captain Kyouraku offers an explanation of the 0 Squad. Hyousube compliments Ichigo on his contributions to the Soul Society, especially his assistance in defeating Sosuke Aizen. With a smile, Hyousube offers Ichigo and the Captains a special support course, courtesy of Squad 0. The Captains unanimously refuse, but Ichigo agrees. When asked if he plans to take Ichigo to the Soul King's Palace, Hyousube laughs. Such a thing would be ridiculous.

^ Outside, five massive structures descend from on high. They float ominously above the Seireitei, exuding a nearly diving presence. These are the palaces of the 0 Squad.

^ Before Ichigo can leave with Hyousube, Rukia and Renji demand to go as well. They need to be stronger, no matter what the Captains say.

^ As everyone leaves, Ishida furrows his brow at Captain Ukitake. He can't quite grasp what it is, but there's something important that he's forgetting.

\- Squad 0 begins its support operations. Operatives of the Squad 0 leaders begin to distribute food prepared by Hikifune in order to give the Shinigami a boost. Shutara Senjumaru's guards distribute new uniforms that should offer greater mobility and protection. Kirinji's assistants supplement the operations of Squad 4.

^ Meanwhile, Captain Kyouraku Shunsui stands before the Central 46. He negotiates the terms of his becoming Squad 1 Captain, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. He outlines his desired command structure, and declares that he plans to strengthen Squad 11 Captain Zaraki Kenpachi. He leaves the task to Squad 4 Captain Unohana, calling her the first Kenpachi.

\- Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji's training begins.

^ Their first stop is the hot springs of Kirinji Tenshirou. His Hell pools revitalize the body and spirit, not only healing injuries, but strengthening the body beyond its previous limits. Kirinji explains that, although Ichigo was not injured like Rukia and Renji, the Hell pools strip the soul, leaving it raw and malleable. The perfect state for the next step of their training. Kirinji sends the trio flying once he is satisfied with their recovery. When they leave, he admits his surprise that they took the process so well.

^ Next stop is Hikifune Kirio's food palace. Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji are treated to a feast so grand it defies reason. Hikifune explains that her cooking imbues those who eat it with immense levels of Reishi. In the training process, this serves to reinforce the newly stripped soul, making it more resilient against the extremely taxing process of their next stop. After stuffing them full, Hikifune sends the trio on their way.

^ Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji arrive at Niimaiya Ouetsu's workshop. Niimaiya leads them to his workshop proper where he throws them into a pit he calls the Furnace, a place where souls are forged. The trio are attacked by monstrous raw souls.

\- Captain Unohana and Captain Zaraki travel to the deepest layers of Soul Society. It is the only place far enough removed from others and expansive enough for them to fight each other without causing gratuitous collateral damage. Unohana fully reverts to her old self; a merciless killing machine obsessed with strength.

^ They battle, diving deep into their past and the limits of their power. Again and again, Unohana kills and revives Zaraki, all for the purpose of releasing his unconsciously suppressed power.

^ Unohana unleashes her Bankai, and the process accelerates. Eventually, Zaraki recovers his true strength and defeats Unohana. Zaraki hears the voice of his Zanpakuto for the first time.

\- Back in Niimaiya's workshop, Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji are released from the Furnace after an exhausting nonstop battle with the raw souls.

^ Niimaiya congratulates Rukia and Renji. Their Zanpakuto are coming along nicely. Ichigo's, on the other hand, is progressing far too slowly. Distressed by this, Ichigo demands an explanation. Niimaiya explains that, unlike the other two, Ichigo isn't a Shinigami. At least, not entirely. His soul is an amalgam; Human, Shinigami, and Quincy. This unusual nature caused issues between his main soul and the soul of his Zanpakuto from the beginning, but the recent awakening of his Quincy power completely shattered whatever balance was there. As such, properly re-forging his Zangetsu will take considerably more time and effort than the others.

^ When Ichigo presses Niimaiya about what he's supposed to do in the meantime, the soul smith forces him through a portal, dropping him in front of his house.

\- Ichigo is frustrated and confused until his father, Kurosaki Isshin approaches him in his Shinigami form.

^ Isshin tells Ichigo about his mother, who happened to be a Quincy, the circumstances around their meeting, and the details of his birth. By the end, Ichigo has a much better idea about the unique nature of his soul.

^ After one night in the living world, one of Niimaiya's assistants comes to take Ichigo back to the workshop.

\- Back in Soul Society, the Captains of the Gotei 13 train.

^ Captain Hitsugaya approaches one of his squad's swordsmanship trainers. Relying too heavily on his Bankai lead to his defeat during the initial invasion, so he decides to improve his skills with the sword.

^ Squad 9 Captain Muguruma Kensei trains with his Vice-Captains.

^ Captain Komamura visits his clan's elder seeking power.

^ Captain Kurotsuchi retreats to his room with his Vice-Captain and Ishida. He prepares counter measures against the Quincies, and begins modifying Ishida's body.

^ Captain Soi Fon trains alone. She was victorious against the Quincy that attacked her, but that was all she could manage.

\- Niimaiya unveils Ichigo's new Zanpakuto, and explains the process of fully integrating all of the different aspects of his soul. Ichigo feels a new sense of purpose in the fight against Yhwach's forces.

\- Yhwach stands before the remaining members of the Sternritter. He explains that the Sternritter who dedicated their power to move the Wandenreich into Soul Society have almost recovered. His and Haschwalth's injuries are also all but healed. For the first time, we are introduced to Yhwach's royal guards.

\- In the Living World, Chad and Orihime's training with Urahara progresses.

\- Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji train at the palace of Hyousube Ichibe. They are locked in a room where the Reishi concentration is oppressive. They reminisce about their brief visit to Shutara Senjumaru's palace where they were fitted for new clothing made with Captain Kurotsuchi's data on the Quincies.

\- The Quincies gather at the boundary erected between the Wandenreich and the Seireitei. Yhwach announces the beginning of their conquest.


	4. Chapter 4

**\- The Second Invasion-**

\- The Quincy army advances, pushing through the Shinigami guard in a surprise mass charge. Battles break out all over the Seireitei.

^ Sternritter "D" Askin Nakk Le Varr infiltrates Squad 12's headquarters. Captain Kurotsuchi emerges from his lab, clad in a gaudy glowing robe and crown, to confront the Quincy.

^ Haschwalth infiltrates the Squad 1 barracks and confronts Captain-Commander Kyouraku.

^ Sternritter "H" Bazz-B casually mows through Shinigami forces until Captain Hitsugaya gets in his way.

^ With Captain Soi Fon still away, Omaeda Marechiyo is confronted by Sternritter "K" BG9.

\- Captain Hitsugaya, along with Vice-Captain Matsumoto, engage Bazz-B. The Sternritter's flames are intense, but Hitsugaya has a strategy to deal with them.

^ By combining the ice of his Zanpakuto with Matsumoto's ash clouds, Hitsugaya creates multilayered walls of ice that resist the heat.

^ To counter this strategy, Bazz-B unleashes his Burner Finger attacks. The extra powerful fire attacks punch through the specialized ice walls with ease, forcing Hitsugaya to engage in one- on-one combat.

^ Hitsugaya's sword training proves its worth as they clash. With Bankai, the ice barely lasts as long as the ash-reinforced walls, but in close quarters, Hitsugaya's talents allow him to hold Bazz-B off.

^ Eventually, the fight is interrupted by Sternritter "R" Jerome Guizbatt, the man who defeated Hitsugaya in the Initial Invasion, with a beaten Matsumoto in hand. He muscles Bazz-B out of the fight, citing unfinished business to justify himself. Bazz-B reluctantly consents and leaves Hitsugaya and Guizbatt to their business.

\- Askin Nakk Le Varr sizes up Captain Kurotsuchi and decides that fighting him would be too much trouble. Kurotsuchi does not chase him when he leaves.

\- Captain Kyouraku and Vice-Captain Ise erect a Kido barrier, developed in haste after the Initial Invasion and specifically designed to absorb Quincy power, to keep Haschwalth at bay.

^ Haschwalth regards the barrier with little interest. It does not prevent him from asking questions, so it is hardly in the way at all. He asks Kyouraku where Squad 13 Captain Ukitake Juushiro might be.

^ Kyouraku feigns ignorance, taking note of the question. Vice-Captain Ise picks up on the intent behind the question as well and anticipates Kyouraku's order to warn Squad 13.

^ Haschwalth offers the pair a warning about the strength of the Quincy before stepping away. Sternritter "J" Quilge Opie takes his place.

\- Soi Fon comes to Omaeda's rescue, confronting BG9 with her newly perfected Shunko.

^ BG9 proves to be quite durable, withstanding Soi Fon's attack without so much as a scratch on his apparently mechanical body. He responds with a barrage of missiles fired from his arms, legs, and torso, adding in a series of stabbing spikes to assail her as she dodges. One of his spikes lands a solid blow, allowing him to hammer Soi Fon with his missiles.

\- Quilge Opie activates his Vollstandig and demonstrates its power. He explains that Quincy fight by absorbing Reishi from their surroundings and forming it into their weapons, and Quilge happens to be particularly good at this.

^ With a disturbingly smug grin, Quilge places his hand on the anti-Quincy barrier. Then he absorbs it. Kyouraku and Ise watch as the power of the Kido flows into the Quincy's body. With the barrier out of the way, Quilge opts to demonstrate how impenetrable a real barrier is. He creates a Jail around Kyouraku and Ise, its strength boosted by the Kido's power. He boasts that not even a Quincy could pass through.

^ The Sternritter stalks his trapped opponents, sadistically taunting them. Before he can act on his threats, however, Squad 9 Captain Muguruma Kensei bursts through the walls of the Squad 1 headquarters with his Vice-Captains in tow. Kyouraku sighs. He feels as if he's had this conversation before, but he continues anyway. He tells the Quincy from within the Jail that Shinigami should not be underestimated.

\- BG9 prods and probes at Soi Fon's battered body. Without sparing so much as a glance at an attack from Omaeda, he collects data on the Captain's body and her power.

^ Omaeda tries again and again to distract the Quincy long enough to rescue Soi Fon, but the robot's focus will not waver. He decides that there's nothing for it, and steels himself to charge in. All he can hope for is that BG9 underestimates his speed. With one more distraction attempt, Omaeda moves to recover Soi Fon. The Quincy finally reacts, but he can't keep up with Omaeda's speed. BG9 deduces that it may be caused by damage to his sensors from Soi Fon's attack.

^ Though severely injured, Soi Fon activates her Bankai. With Omaeda bracing her against the recoil, she fires an enormous missile at BG9. The explosion blows the robot to pieces, sending them scattering across the Seireitei.

\- Hitsugaya fights on the defensive as Jerome Guizbatt pressures him. While Bankai was effective at leveling the playing field against Bazz-B, it proves to be almost completely useless against Sternritter "R". Any attempt to erect a wall or attack using Hyourinmaru's ice is rendered moot by The Roar, which demolishes not only the ice, but the surrounding buildings as well. Hitsugaya's body slowly collects damage as well.

^ With little else to do, Hitsugaya moves in to engage Guizbatt in close range combat. The flow of the battle definitely shifts in Hitsugaya's favor, but Guizbatt is surprisingly quick despite his size. As the fight grows more intense, the Quincy's body grows larger and more gorilla-like. The force of his Roars also grows.

^ Hyourinmaru's petals come dangerously close to disappearing, so Hitsugaya changes tactics once again. He lures Guizbatt into attacking him, allowing himself to be pushed around. While he tries to minimize the damage from the Quincy's attacks, he lays a trap. When it activates, Guizbatt is almost completely encased in Ice.

^ The Quincy lets out a rumbling laugh. His movements are sealed, but as long as his head is unfrozen, he can Roar and destroy the ice holding him. Hitsugaya knows this as well, so he steps forward and takes a simple sword stance, the kind a swordsman might be taught in his earliest lessons. With slow, careful movements, he raises his blade over his head, ignoring Guizbatt's taunts. With a single, steady breath, he swings his Zanpakuto. A torrent of ice explodes from the blade, instantly enveloping the stunned Quincy, and covering a large section of the surrounding area.

^ As the mist clears, we see Guizbatt's surprised expression, and his body, sliced in two from shoulder to hip, suspended in a towering ice coffin.

^ Hitsugaya stumbles towards Matsumoto, intent on treating her wounds, but his are just as severe. He collapses before he can reach her, cursing his lack of power once again. The sword training was effective, but his Bankai was still a weak point. It needs to be stronger. Hitsugaya passes out. The ominous shadows of Sternritters "Z", "G", "P", and "T" stretch over his and Matsumoto's bodies.

\- The Squad 1 headquarters erupts with battle as Vice-Captain Hisagi Shuhei and Super Vice-Captain Kuna Mashiro engage Quilge Opie. They keep the Sternritter busy while Captain Muguruma beats at the Jail holding Kyouraku and Ise.

^ Quilge's Vollstandig power proves to be too much for the Vice-Captains to handle. At every turn his speed and strength are superior. His affinity for absorbing Reishi and utilizing it renders most of Hisagi's attacks ineffective, and though Quilge is hesitant to absorbs Kuna's hollow power, she still isn't strong enough to deal any significant damage.

^ Deciding that there really is no point in hammering away at the Jail, Muguruma turns his attention towards its creator. If the Jail is indestructible, then he just needs to kill the guy powering. He activates his Bankai and shoulders his way into the fight, telling Hisagi and Kuna to stand back. Quilge's speed is still greater, but the Sternritter and the Captain are pretty much equal in strength. Unfortunately for Quilge, Muguruma doesn't fight like other Shinigami. His style is rough and dirty, and he isn't afraid to take a few hits as long as he can hit back harder. Muguruma runs a clinic on breaking down an opponent and severely injures Quilge with one flashy Bankai attack. The Jail deactivates, but Quilge slinks away, beaten but alive.

^ Kyouraku, now free from the Jail, tells Ise to get the word out about the Quincies' objective. Captain Ukitake must be protected.

\- Sternritter "E" Bambietta Basterbine wreaks havoc on the Seireitei, exploding swaths of buildings out of frustration. Her friends ran off without her, leaving her monologuing and embarrassed. She wonders where the dog man she fought before could be, and much to her relief, Captain Komamura Sajin shows up, clad in brand new armor.

^ Bambietta prepares to blow the armor off of Komamura's body, but Squad 5 Captain Hirako Shinji appears behind her. She turns to face the newcomer, but the world seems to twist and distort. The effect of Hirako's Zanpakuto severely handicaps her basic motor functions and senses.

^ Surrounded by two Captains and incapacitated, Bambietta panics and activates her Vollstandig.

\- Inside of Hyousube Ichibe's training hall, Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji hear the sounds of conflict on the outside. They attempt to leave, but Hyousube stops them. Their Reiatsu still hasn't stabilized, and their new power could easily destroy them if they aren't careful. Ichigo takes Hyousube's instructions to heart and refocuses on his training. He has matured, and seeing this, Rukia and Renji follow suit. The trio continue their training.

^ Hyousube looks out over the Seireitei and the destruction quickly radiating out from the Wandenreich. Niimaiya and Hikifune appear at his side, and he asks them about the support Squad 0 has given the Shinigami. Niimaiya explains that he gave the members of Squad 4 a crash course on his healing techniques, but it's only been a few days, and there's only so much they can absorb in such a short time. Hikifune responds similarly, explaining that the Gotei forces have been fed on her special dishes since Squad 0's arrival, but considering the scale and the short time frame, she can only accomplish so much. With a final hope that the improved battle garments can help pick up the slack, Hyousube sends the other two off to continue their support.

\- Captain Hirako is blasted by a sudden series of explosions, knocking him away and interrupting the effects of his Zanpakuto. Bambietta laughs, declaring that if she can't tell up from down, then she'll just blow everything away.

^ Bambietta takes to the sky, dropping bulbs of her Reishi indiscriminately on the Seireitei. Everything explodes beneath her. Then she notices Captain Komamura through the smoke, seemingly unfazed. He stares up at her, defiant, and she prepares to engage him, but Squad 5 Vice-Captain Hinamori ambushes her from behind. Before Bambietta can down Hinamori, Komamura moves, rescuing Hinamori from an inevitable thrashing.

^ The fight begins in earnest. Bambietta fires her Reishi and Komamura tries to defend against it. He has confidence in his new armor and his own resilience, preparing to move before the bombs can actually explode. But something is wrong. Komamura braces himself, taking the brunt of an explosion and losing most of his armor. Bambietta explains that she does not fire Reishi bombs. Anything she fires her Reishi into _becomes_ a bomb. As the dust clears around Komamura, Bambietta is surprised. The dog face she was expecting is gone. Komamura has taken human form.

\- Captain Komamura, still in his dog-man form, kneels before his elder. He learns about the Human Transformation Technique, an ability of his clan to gain great power for a short period of time. There is a cost, however. Before the elder will give up the secrets of the technique, he demands that Komamura tear out his own heart and offer it in exchange. Komamura demonstrates his resolve to avenge Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

\- Komamura activates his Bankai, revealing a new form to match his own transformation. The giant has shed its armor, unveiling a monstrous, yet unmistakably human form.

^ Komamura's giant attacks Bambietta, but she avoids the strike. She fires her Reishi at it, detonating one of its hands. What little damage is actually done immediately repairs itself. Komamura answers Bambietta's confusion by explaining the effect of the transformation. By losing it's armor, his Bankai has become an entity of pure Reiatsu. It cannot be destroyed by Bambietta's Reishi.

^ The Quincy disregards this information, launching a barrage of Reishi to destroy the giant. After all, it shouldn't matter if it has armor or not, she should be able to turn it into a bomb. Komamura explains that his Bankai's armor was its form, its life. This new form is his Bankai after it has shed its life, in much the same way Komamura did to achieve his human form. Bambietta's explosions cannot touch it.

^ Bambietta still doesn't accept Komamura's explanation. Who cares if she can't kill the Bankai. The abilities of the Captains are well known amongst the Sternritter, so she knows that Komamura's weakness lies in his physical connection to his Bankai. She fires a shower of Reishi into the giant in order to get at Komamura himself. When he still doesn't go down, she finally sees the gaping hole in his chest.

^ Komamura explains that his body is nothing more than a shell now. By sacrificing his heart, he was able to obtain an immortal body, if only temporarily. That is the true power of the Human Transformation Technique.

^ The giant leaps at Bambietta with speed uninhibited by its enormous size. The Quincy flees, firing as much Reishi as she can into the giant as she can. It has no effect. Under the pressure of the giant's attacks, Bambietta is unable to push her Reishi away, forcing it back into her own body. She self destructs.

^ Komamura turns his attention to the Wandenreich. With Bambietta out of the way, he can use his immortal body to ravage the enemy base and kill Yhwach. But he collapses, his Bankai crumbling. He has reached the time limit of the Human Transformation Technique. Komamura's body starts to transform again. He does not regain his old wolf-man form, instead becoming an animal entirely. He wonders if he was wrong to seek revenge.

^ Squad 7 Vice-Captain Iba lifts Komamura's dog body, offering him consoling words as if reading his mind. They retreat with the determination to defeat the Quincies.

\- Bambietta lays amongst rubble of her own creation, near death. She is approached by a group of Sternritter that could be considered her friends. She is frightened by what Sternritter "Z" intends to do with her.

\- Night comes over the Seireitei. Squad 11 3rd Seat Madarame Ikkaku and Squad 11 5th Seat Ayasegawa Yumichika cautiously conceal themselves amongst the remnants of a building. After diving into the enemy's forces, the pair was separated from the others of their Squad. They plan how to meet up with the rest of Squad 11 when an imposing figure creeps up behind them.

^ Ayasegawa is blasted through a broken wall by a dropkick from Sternritter "S" Mask De Masculine. The luchador Quincy holds Madarame by the collar in one enormous hand, then throws him into Ayasegawa. Mask crushes the both of them with a diving cross chop.

^ Mask laments the weakness of his opponents so far. He pines for a challenge on the level of a Captain, like Kuchiki Byakuya. Alas, all he comes across is boring nobodies. He communicates his discontent to his loyal fan, James. Little James offers up words of encouragement, but he is interrupted by a sudden Shinigami attack.

^ Squad 9 Vice-Captain Hisagi's Zanpakuto shoots out from behind some rubble. Mask catches the chain attached to the blade and thanks James for his support. Squad 9 Super Vice-Captain Kuna falls from the sky, delivering a super axe kick, which is also caught by Mask. The Quincy mercilessly slams Kuna into the ground. He then pulls Hisagi out of his hiding place by the chain of his Zanpakuto, and delivers an earth-shattering lariat. Once again, he is left with a feeling of disappointment.

^ Mask's senses go wild. A sudden, intense, surge of power appears out of nowhere somewhere in the Seireitei. He peers along the horizon until his eyes come to the floating palace of Hyousube Ichibe. He decides to investigate this powerful new foe with encouragement from James. But first, he lifts one massive boot and prepares to crush Vice-Captain Hisagi. He stomps down, but his foot is caught by Squad 9 Captain Muguruma.

^ Mask relishes the opportunity to fight a Captain, but the potential of that power surge is just too great. He moves to leave, but the cracking of a whip stops him in his tracks. Squad 3 Captain Otoribashi Rojuro has also appeared to stand in the Quincy's way. One Captain was hardly worth letting that mysterious power be, but two? Now that is challenge. Mask throws off his coat and faces Muguruma, who activates his Bankai.

^ Mask plows into Muguruma with a heavy dropkick, but the Captain isn't fazed. In fact, he's downright furious about his Vice-Captains being beaten by attacks of this level. He counters with a powerful uppercut, digging into Mask's abdomen, and creating a shockwave that obliterates the surrounding rubble. The Quincy collapses to his knees, clutching at his stomach. He can barely make a sound. Muguruma lifts Mask off the ground and drives another punch into his gut. His Bankai sends the shockwaves of more powerful punches through Mask's body as long as his fist is touching the Quincy. The result is Mask being blown away to crash into a tower in the distance. James is distraught.

^ Muguruma and Otoribashi confront the diminutive James, unsure of what to do with him. They try to ignore his pathetic cries of support for his Superstar, which proves to be a mistake. Mask appears behind the Captains, revived and powered up. In an instant, he slaps them aside, sending them both flying the same way he was. The power that earned him the Schrift "S" turns the cheers of his fans into power.

^ Muguruma lifts himself out of the rubble and charges at Mask, but the powered up Quincy disappears, closing the gap between them faster than Muguruma can follow. Mask delivers a series of hard blows, holding the Captain to keep him from being blown away again. Muguruma takes advantage of this to strike with his Bankai, but the repeating hits of his punches no longer phase Mask. The Quincy drops the Shinigami after breaking his arm. With a final high altitude knee drop, Muguruma is taken out of the fight.

^ James's cries draw Mask's attention just in time to see the tiny fan split in two by Otoribashi's Zanpakuto. Thinking that he's cut off Mask's source of power, the Squad 3 Captain activates his Bankai. First, a surge of water binds Mask. Then a fiery blast immolates him. Otoribashi explains that his power is music. He creates illusions that convince the target that they've taken damage. Otoribashi prepares to deliver the final blow.

^ Mask sticks his fingers in his ears, crushing his own eardrums. As Otoribashi hesitates, Mask prepares a beam attack that will surely defeat any villain. But a fiery explosion between them interrupts the attack.

\- Sternritter "H" Bazz-B puts a stop to Mask's rampage, arguing with the luchador Quincy about who should get to take down Otoribashi. Bazz-B makes the point that he has unfinished business with Squad 3, taking a page out of Jerome Guizbatt's playbook. A move that works, surprisingly. Bazz-B turns to face an uncertain Otoribashi and bluntly tells him that he is the one that killed Squad 3's Vice-Captain. Recovering from the initial shock of the statement, Captain Otoribashi's expression turns grim.

\- At the same time, Mask returns his attention to the incapacitated Muguruma. If Bazz-B will take the other Captain off his hands, he can simply finish off the one he's already beaten, and go investigate that incredible surge of Reiatsu. He charges the beam he had intended for Otoribashi and fires it at Muguruma, but the blast is intercepted. Squad 6 Vice-Captain Abarai Renji stands in his way.

\- Otoribashi stares down the man that killed his Vice-Captain. He responds to Bazz-B's snarling grin with a calm intensity, moving cautiously without knowledge of his opponent's abilities.

^ Bazz-B taunts Otoribashi, remarking on how quickly Vice-Captain Kira went down. When the Captain does not react, Bazz-B gets impatient. He points at Otoribashi, making a gun with his fingers, and fires an intense beam of flames.

^ Seeing that the Quincy uses fire to attack, Otoribashi activates his Bankai once again, starting with the same water-based binding he used on Mask. Though it seems to work at first, Bazz-B quickly breaks free with a burst of fire and steam. Water will not douse this Quincy's flames. Rethinking his strategy, Otoribashi creates an illusion of quicksand. Limiting the enemy's movements could only give him an advantage. Unfortunately, Bazz-B counters again. He points three fingers down at the ground and melts it into a molten pond, easily blowing away the illusion.

^ Bazz-B extends a fourth finger, and a large, flaming blade erupts from his wrist. He rushes at Otoribashi, taking a wide swing. The Captain manages to dodge, but the energy from the weapon causes an enormous explosion that blows him away. Bazz-B gives chase, forcing Otoribashi to defend himself with his Shikai. The long whip-like Zanpakuto allows Otoribashi to keep his distance, but he can only manage glancing blows as Bazz-B wards off the spiked tip.

^ The chase leads them away from Mask and Renji.

\- Mask De Masculine regards the sudden intruder with confusion. Who is this mysterious figure that could block his powerful beam? He does not recognize the Vice-Captain he thrashed during the Initial Invasion. When a second newcomer appears, the embers of remembrance begin to glow.

^ Renji asks Rukia, who has rushed to the scene after him, to take care of Captain Muguruma and his Vice-Captains. He doesn't want to get them caught up in the fight. Rukia hesitates, thinking it might be best to fight two-on-one, but lets Renji have his one-on-one. Judging the Quincy by his Reiatsu, the new and improved Renji should have no problem.

^ Renji reintroduces himself to Mask, but the Quincy can't hear him on account of the crushed eardrums. To remedy this, Mask calls for his devoted supporter, James. The little man, missing his lower half, drags himself over and offers Mask his cheers. The loyal cries of his fan heal his eardrums, returning his hearing to normal. When he tries to test his newly healed eardrums, Renji insults him.

^ Mask responds to the insult with a diving attack, proclaiming his power as a hero fighting a villain, but Renji dodges and responds by smashing Mask into the ground. Angered, Mask declares that his punch was powered up ten times by the blow. He tries to pound Renji's face in, but the Shinigami catches his fist with little effort. Enraged, Mask unleashes a furious flurry of punches, kicking up a great cloud of dust. His blind barrage is interrupted by a whimper from James, who apologizes before falling to pieces.

^ Emerging from the dust cloud from Mask's punches, Renji takes credit for eviscerating James. Then he cuts Mask nearly in half. The Quincy falls, blood spewing from his half open torso. Renji turns to leave him to die, but Mask does not fall. Instead, he pulls himself back together, staunching the heavy blood flow with his abdominal muscles alone. He gives a strained speech about how he could never fall at the hands of a villain. He asks James if he agrees, and the little man's disembodied mouth responds enthusiastically.

^ Miniature versions of James begin to sprout from the chunks of his former self, all offering words of encouragement to Mask. This causes the Superstar to run wild. Mask transforms once again, shedding most of his clothes, leaving him in just a pair of boots, a groin-hugging pair of short, short shorts, a flashy belt, star-shaped pasties, and his mask, which has turned from white to black.

^ Mask finally remembers who Renji is. He congratulates Renji on becoming more powerful than his late Captain, and pulls back to unleash his ultimate attack. Mask swings his arm, performing a long distance lariat that decapitates a number of buildings and blows Renji away. Renji resists the attack, defending against the force of the blow, but the lariat is not the only attack Mask can launch from a distance. The Quincy unloads a terrible barrage of punches that beats at Renji's defenses from afar, pushing further and further back.

^ The mini-James continue their cheering, and Mask activates his Vollstandig. he soars after Renji, positioning himself to blast the Shinigami into the ground with a hyper powered beam. The blast, which also catches the group of mini-James leaves a massive star shaped crater in the ground. Mask laughs, but is cut short as Renji emerges from the smoldering crater, unveiling his new Bankai.

\- Squad 3 Captain Otoribashi is backed into a corner. He is covered in burns and wounds from a short, but hard battle against Bazz-B. The Sternritter himself, however, is mostly unscathed, with only a few scuffs and scrapes here and there.

^ Otoribashi lets Bazz-B taunt him. Having struck him with his Zanpakuto enough times, even if the blows were light, the image for a new illusion has taken shape in his mind. Bazz-B activates his Burner Finger 4 sword and slowly approaches to deliver the finishing blow. But then Otoribashi activates his Bankai one more time. The music his Bankai produces create illusions that physically affect his enemies, and he's come up with a new tune just for this fight.

^ The song that he plays is titled "Lamentations for a Fallen Hero." Bazz-B ignores Otoribashi's ramblings and raises his sword, or at least, he tries to. His arm refuses to budge. He puts more effort into moving his limbs, but they just won't do what he wants them to. The Quincy realizes in that instant that all of his limbs, his arms especially, suddenly feel unbelievably heavy. And they are getting heavier with each passing second. He tries to interrupt the illusion, focusing his flame through all five of his fingers, but it's too late. Bazz-B falls to his knees and his hands sink into the ground.

^ Bazz-B's neck strains to raise his head, but the weight continues to multiply. As his face slowly approaches the stone below, an oddly shaped blade enters his vision. The sharp angles at the end of the blade make it seem completely useless in regular combat, but in this situation, it seems to fit perfectly. Like a guillotine waiting to take his neck. Bazz-B screams with rage, but he is helpless to stop the effects of the illusion. His furious shouts cut off suddenly.

^ Otoribashi steps away from the Sternritter's corpse and collapses against a partially melted wall. He sighs, then passes out.

\- Renji sits in Hyousube Ichibe's palace. Hyousube holds the newly restored Zabimaru, inspecting Niimaiya's work. He tells Renji that the name of Zabimaru must change to reflect their growth. The old release will no longer work, so he will give it a new name that will allow Renji to take full advantage of his newfound strength.

\- Renji emerges from the dust cloud with his new Bankai. Mask dives towards him filled with rage, but Renji grabs him, breaking his arm, and throws him into a building. Mask completely loses his cool.

^ Before Mask can strike out again, Renji charges, running the Quincy through. With one last attack, Mask is obliterated, his body charred through and crumbling into nothing.

\- Squad 13 Vice-Captain Kuchiki Rukia moves quickly across the rooftops of the Seireitei. Having dropped off Captain Muguruma and the others with Squad 4 Vice-Captain Kotetsu Isane, she offers her help in smaller battles on her way to the Wandenreich. She pauses to decide her next move, when a sickening Reiatsu glances her senses.

^ A chilling voice, humming a creepy tune reaches Rukia's ears. She looks around, growing more frantic as a disturbing recollection grows in her mind. As Nodt appears a short distance away, and Rukia's blood runs cold. Faced with her brother's killer, her emotions struggle against reason, but she keeps her cool. She didn't go through the training with Squad 0 for nothing.

^ As Nodt tells Rukia that he doesn't care about unfinished business or experiencing a challenge. It is his duty to protect the Wandenreich, and her new power poses a definite threat. He is only doing his job. Though, that doesn't mean he won't enjoy killing her like he did her brother.

^ Glowing thorns of Fear appear around As Nodt. They fire off in a volley that Rukia avoids, staying one step ahead. She notices a dark energy spreading from wherever the thorns touch. A thorn shoots straight at her, so she erects a wall of ice. The barrier fails, however, as the Fear moves through the ice. Rukia is touched by As Nodt's Fear.

^ As Nodt feels assured of his victory, but Rukia glares at him, defiant. Just like Kuchiki Byakuya did. For a moment, the Quincy hesitates. Rukia asks him if he is afraid of his Fear not working, and he chuckles. What is there to fear? His Fear is irresistible. If it so much as touches someone, it permeates their body, wrapping itself tightly around their mind.

^ More thorns fly at Rukia, but she is dodging fewer of them. This is not by accident, though. As the seconds tick by, she catches more and more thorns instead of avoiding them. As Nodt notices that some of his thorns are freezing when they come into contact with her. Still, the Fear should be piercing her, ice or no.

^ As Nodt preaches about the nature of fear, about its unstoppable nature. The way it strikes at the core of all living things. Anything that is alive feels fear. It is an inescapable truth. Rukia agrees with him. It is as As Nodt says, fear is a part of life, so if she were to not be alive, she would not have to worry about Fear. She explains the power of her remade Sode no Shirayuki. Out of the three who went through Squad 0's training, her Zanpakuto required the least work to restore. As such, it is still basically the same blade that it was before, but the power it is capable of is on a whole other level. Her Zanpakuto drops her body temperature below 0, allowing her to kill her body momentarily. Effectively negating As Nodt's Fear.

^ Rukia strikes. As her body cools, it begins to affect the world around her. Blood freezes in the wound. Ground water freezes, causing ice-quakes. When she reaches absolute zero, she can only move for 4 seconds, so in one swift strike, she strikes As Nodt down, freezing his body inside and out in an instant. Thinking that the fight is over, Rukia begins to slowly warm her body back to normal temperature.

^ As her body temperature rises, a sinking feeling grows in the back of Rukia's mind. She glances back at the frozen Quincy. At that moment, As Nodt breaks free from the freezing prison, tearing his clothes as he rips out, and revealing his horribly scarred face. With a furious cry, he activates his Vollstandig: Tartarforas.

^ Tartarforas transforms As Nodt into a horrible monstrosity of a man. Worse yet, the effects of his fear begin to reach Rukia despite her frozen cells. As Nodt explains that in Vollstandig, his Fear penetrates through the optic nerve. Simply looking at him once in this form paralyzes everyone with Fear.

^ Rukia tries to close her eyes to prevent the Fear from attacking her, but it doesn't work. In fact, the effects of As Nodt's Fear grow exponentially as frightening hallucinations flash clearly in her mind. She falls to her knees, overwhelmed.

\- A memory shines vibrantly amidst the horrible visions of pain and death afflicting Rukia's mind. She is being scolded by her brother for her weakness. She had hesitated to take action because she was afraid of coming to harm. His biting criticism echoes the current situation. She is failing again because she is afraid. Byakuya puts his hand on her shoulder and tells her that fear isn't born from nothing. At that time, he'd definitely criticized her, but he'd also used the opportunity to teach her about the nature of fear. That it was normal to be afraid, but that being able to move despite that fear was a sign of true strength. Her focus jumps to a more recent memory. Byakuya's voice rings loudly in her ears, silencing all other distractions. He tells her that she has become strong.

\- Rukia takes a deep breath and slowly opens her eyes. She stares down As Nodt, defiant once again. Regaining her composure frustrates him, and his body begins to split and distort. Terrifying growths sprout from his split form and coalesce into a giant, grotesque version of the Quincy.

^ Rukia braves the intense wave of nauseating Fear assaulting her senses, and firmly grips her Zanpakuto. She activates her Bankai, Byakuya's words holding her steady. The world freezes over.

^ In his final moments, As Nodt remembers his first meeting with Yhwach. He recalls the compassion that saved him from a life of pain and a fearful death. Unfortunately, the fear of death never really left him.

^ As Nodt's monstrous form, frozen to the core, along with the rest of the surrounding area, begins to fall apart. Rukia stands at the epicenter of this frozen wasteland, a doll of ice, her blade translucent and her body fragile. Her sword hand cracks, so she focuses on reheating herself slowly, so as to not destroy her own body.

^ The ice melts away as her gratitude towards her brother swells.

\- Jugram Haschwalth enters Yhwach's chambers within the Wandenreich. He reports on the state of the conflict, though the news is not good for the Quincies. Multiple Sternritter have fallen, and the intervention of Squad 0 has allowed the regular Shinigami troops to hold their own against the Quincy soldiers, even those infused with Haschwalth's power.

^ Yhwach does not see this news as bad. The soldiers do not have to eliminate the Shinigami, and the Sternritters' sacrifices will not be in vain. Yhwach summons his royal guard; Lille Barro, Askin Nakk Le Varr, Gerard Valkyrie, Nianzol Weizol and Gremmy Thoumeaux. He then informs Haschwalth that all of the preparations on their end are complete. Pernida is ready. All they need to do now is capture Squad 13 Captain Ukitake Juushiro.


	5. Chapter 5

**Plans Executed -**

\- Squad 2 Vice-Captain Omaeda carries a heavily injured Soi Fon towards the Squad 4 barracks. A squad of Quincy soldiers attack them, but Squad 5 Captain Hirako, with the aid of Vice-Captain Hinamori, appear to assist.

^ Hirako informs Omaeda that there is a mission that all able Shinigami need to undertake. According to a report from Squad 1, the Quincies are targeting Squad 13 Captain Ukitake. Though their reasons are unclear, the report was urgent enough to warrant immediate action on the part of the Captains and Vice-Captains. Reluctantly, Omaeda lets Hinamori take Soi Fon to the Squad 4 barracks while he accompanies Captain Hirako.

\- Kurosaki Ichigo moves at a blistering pace, heading for the Squad 13 barracks. He wasn't given a lot of information, but he knew it was important that he protect Captain Ukitake. A powerful bolt of lightning strikes the ground in his path.

^ A group of Sternritter led by Sternritter "T" Candice Catnipp stand in Ichigo's way. They were searching for the source of a powerful Reiatsu when they stumbled on Ichigo. They are excited that they'll be able to take down one of the Special War Potentials. Ichigo ignores them, moving past them before they even realize that he's moved.

^ Upset at being ignored, Candice rushes Ichigo, striking with a lightning-infused fist. Ichigo easily catches this attack, and flings Candice into a building. The other three Sternritter are on him in an instant. Sternritter "P" Meninas Mcallon attacks with punches and kicks powerful enough to create craters at a decent distance, but Ichigo dodges. Sternritter "G" Liltotto Lamperd bites at Ichigo with her all-consuming mouth. She snags the back of his new combat gear, tearing through the specially developed material like it was nothing. Sternritter "Z" Giselle Gewelle tries to land a hit while Ichigo is snagged, but he counters, sending all three flying the same way as Candice.

^ The Quincies emerge from the rubble and regroup. They attack with a hail of arrows, destroying a wide area. But still, Ichigo avoids their attacks and blows them away again. Frustrated, Candice activates her Vollstandig and charges back in alone. She assaults Ichigo with a collection of Reishi blades and a particularly powerful electrical attack in the hopes of breaking through his defenses. Unfortunately for her, though, Ichigo deflects all of this with a casual, yet powerful, Getsuga Tensho.

^ Gathering all of her energy, Candice unleashes one more electrical attack, calling down a massive bolt of lightning. But again, Ichigo blows it away. This time with a new attack enabled by his reforged Zangetsu: Getsuga Juujishou.

^ Candice escapes Ichigo's attack at the cost of an arm. She calls for Giselle to heal her, which she accomplishes by harvesting the bodies of dead Shinigami and Quincy in the surrounding area. With Candice's arm restored, the other three Quincies activate their Vollstandig and square off against Ichigo.

\- Jugram Haschwalth, followed by an injured Quilge Opie, enters the Squad 13 barracks. His goal is to find and capture Captain Ukitake. This mission seems simple, as Ukitake Juushiro is hardly the most powerful of the captains, but something is amiss. The barracks are empty.

^ Haschwalth steps into the Captain's private chambers, a room adorned with a variety of idols and worship related totems, but Ukitake is not there. Sitting in the center of the room, though, is Squad 0's Niimaiya. The Shinigami turns and grins at the intruders. Seeing Haschwalth's nonplused expression, he explains that of the members of Squad 0, only two are particularly competent in combat. Since Hyousube is busy, it is up to Niimaiya to take the stage.

^ Niimaiya turns and begins to fiddle with a large tank of liquid. Annoyed, Haschwalth orders Quilge to contain him. The stark white Jail appears around Niimaiya, who regards it curiously. Quilge laughs. He was forced to retreat before, but with only one enemy present, he can show off his new and improved Jail to the commander of the Sternritter himself. He boasts about his Jail's resistance to both Shinigami _and_ Quincy attacks, echoing his earlier speech.

^ Muttering to himself and nodding, Niimaiya inspects the Jail. He rubs his hand along its surface, knocking on it occasionally. After a minute of this, he grunts, satisfied, and turns back to his tank. This time, the Quincies have a clear view of its contents. There is a sword suspended in the tank's mysterious fluid. Niimaiya explains that the most important aspect in forging a sword is balance. Not just the in properties like weight and length, though those are important, but also in usability. A perfectly weighted sword is no use if the hilt is too big around to hold. He says that the sword is a failure in this regard as he pulls it out, but Quilge can't tell the difference. Haschwalth patiently absorbs the explanation. Niimaiya goes on, drying the blade with a shake. He says that this sword, though perfectly weighted and sized, was forged too sharp. So sharp, in fact, that no sheath exists that can hold it. In a way, it is his greatest masterpiece, as well as his most humiliating failure. He casually raises the blade above his head.

^ Quilge explodes in a fit of laughter. What does it matter if the sword is sharp? The Jail does not take such trivial matters into consideration. Be they human or Hollow, Shinigami or Quincy, nothing and nobody can escape from the Jail. It is the most impenetrable power in existence. Niimaiya sighs. He was not clear, apparently. The sword in his hand is entirely too sharp, so trivial matters like existence don't factor in. His arm drops.

^ A tremendous gash opens up in the Squad 13 barracks. From ceiling to floor, as if reality itself was cleaved away. The Jail, too, is sliced open. Niimaiya steps out and locks eyes with a stunned Quilge. He approaches at a leisurely pace, bouncing the sword off of his shoulder. He steps right up to Quilge, who stammers nonsensically. Niimaiya peeks over his sunglasses and pities the Quincy's poor luck. With a casual, but imperceptibly quick motion, he slides the blade through Quilge's body, and approaches Haschwalth.

^ Haschwalth regards Niimaiya with a simmering irritation. He ignores the Shinigami's smug grin and asks after Ukitake Juushiro's location. Clearly he isn't here at the barracks, so where is he? Niimaiya refuses to answer. Squad 0 knows what the Quincy want, and they have no intention of letting them get it. Haschwalth comments that Yhwach was right. He turns to leave, but Niimaiya calls out to stop him. He won't let Haschwalth leave just like that.

^ Haschwalth draws his own sword. Quilge falls to pieces.

\- Ichigo hides amongst some rubble while Candice and her cohorts wreak havoc in the surrounding area looking for him. Between the incredible explosion in the direction of the Squad 13 barracks and a horribly imposing burst of energy coming from elsewhere, he doesn't have time to beat all four of the Quincy after his head. A Senkaimon suddenly opens a short distance from Ichigo.

^ Orihime and Chad jump out of the gate, followed by Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruichi. Ichigo expresses his surprise to see them and questions Urahara about it. Urahara explains that Orihime and Chad have grown about as much as is possible on such short notice, so he brought them to Soul Society to lend a hand. A quick message from Captain-Commander Kyouraku also played a part in their appearance.

^ Ichigo is happy to see his friends, but their sudden appearance draws the attention of the Quincies. Candice launches a lightning attack on the group that Orihime blocks, demonstrating her growth in her composure and reaction time. Seeing confidence and resolve in her face, and in Chad's as well, Ichigo makes a decision. He tells them that he is needed elsewhere, and he asks if he can leave these Quincies to them. Both Chad and Orihime are confident that they can handle it, and Yoruichi decides to hang back and help out as well. Urahara insists on accompanying Ichigo.

^ Ichigo and Urahara make a break for it. The Quincies try to stop them, but they are blocked. Yoruichi appears in front of Candice knocks her out of the sky. Chad interrupts Meninas, taking one of her absurdly powerful punches and returning with one of his own. Liltotto attempts to eat Orihime, but even her all-consuming mouth can't take a bite out of her Santen Kesshun. Orihime once again shows off her growth by shifting from Santen Kesshun straight into Shiten Koshun, blasting Liltotto away. Giselle stands back, trying to look vulnerable and weak to invite an attack.

\- Yhwach leads his royal guard towards the Squad 1 barracks. His destination is the Central Great Underground Prison which lies beneath it. Assuming the Shinigami knew he was after Captain Ukitake, this seems like the most likely place they'd try to hide him. Yhwach's suspicions are confirmed when Squad 0's Hyousube Ichibe steps out to greet them.

^ Yhwach and Hyousube exchange biting words. Hyousube is clearly as hostile to Yhwach as Yamamoto was. Perhaps even more so. The Squad 0 Commander slams the butt of his giant brush on the ground and sets himself firmly in Yhwach's path.

^ Sternritter "W" Nianzol Weizol steps to the front, assuring that he can hold Hyousube's attention while Yhwach enters the Prison. This earns a hearty laugh from Hyousube, accepting Nianzol's confidence as a challenge.

^ Nianzol wastes no time explaining his ability. He possesses The Wind, a power that deflects any attack against him away. He challenges Hyousube to find a way to overcome this untouchable ability. Hyousube strokes his beard and fires off a quick Kido attack to test the waters. As Nianzol said, the attack diverts away from its target as if the space it was traveling along was bent. Faced with such a troublesome ability, Hyousube releases his Shikai, spraying a wave of ink from his brush-turned-blade over the area. Most of this ink is dashed against the ground, The Wind deflecting it as an attack. Hyousube laughs, impressed by Nianzol's caution. He explains that anything touched by that ink will lose its name, and thus, its power. Truly, for someone like Nianzol, whose entire combat potential relies on their special ability, losing power would be an instant loss.

^ Nianzol ridicules Hyousube for revealing his trump card like that. Then a glob of ink plops onto Nianzol's shoulder. He regards it with terror and freezes. Hyousube smiles. Apparently, The Wind could not deflect attacks that Nianzol is completely oblivious to. Hyousube's smile takes on a sinister quality, like that of an ogre from hell.

^ Before anyone else can move, Hyousube manifests a giant hand and smashes Nianzol into paste on the spot. He turns back to Yhwach, who never even got a chance to try and enter the Prison. Hyousube swings his Zanpakuto in a flourish that sprays jet black ink all over the surroundings and challenges Yhwach to try and get past him.

\- Growing impatient as she is beaten down again and again, Candice Catnipp calls for Giselle Gewelle to actually do something. Giselle rolls her eyes, but does as requested. A small army of Shinigami and Quincy, all zombified by Giselle's power, emerge from ruined buildings and from beneath rubble. The Zombie minions swarm Orihime and the others.

^ Yoruichi has little trouble adapting to the additional enemies. Their abilities aren't enhanced, and their reaction times aren't anything to worry about. However they are being controlled, they aren't really good for anything other than fodder against someone of Captain-class strength. The other two don't fare so well, however.

^ Despite experiencing significant growth, Orihime and Chad struggle with the additional enemies. Though Chad's defenses are top notch, and his fighting sense has evolved well enough to go toe-to-toe with some real powerhouses, he hesitates to attack the zombie Shinigami, leaving himself open to attacks from both the zombies and Meninas Mcallon. Lacking mobility, Orihime struggles to fend off both the swarming zombies and Liltotto Lamperd's repeated attacks. The mindless persistence of the zombies, combined with Liltotto's nonchalance in catching her apparent allies in her attempts to destroy the Santen Kesshun, wears on Orihime's resolve.

^ Seeing Chad and Orihime being pushed together, forced to turtle within Orihime's shield, Yoruichi breaks away from Candice. She clears the area around the Santen Kesshun in a flash, and Orihime lets her inside. She informs the pair that they've bought Ichigo enough time. It's time they escaped.

^ At the same time, Candice once again shrieks at Giselle. The Zombie still has more to offer. With an exaggerated flourish, Giselle calls out a zombified Bambietta Basterbine. She orders Bambietta to blow up Orihime's pesky shield. Orihime prepares for the attack, setting up her Shiten Koshun, but the ball of Reishi that hits the surface is not repelled. It is absorbed. The shield glows ominously as its occupants realize something is wrong. Chad moves to defend Orihime with his own shield as an explosion fills the bubble.

^ Orihime's shield falls, but the thinning cloud of dust kicked up by the explosion reveals that she is alive and conscious, though badly injured. Chad is in a slightly worse state, having blocked the brunt of the blast with his own body. Yoruichi's resilience allows her to escape most of the explosion, but not all of it. With the Quincies and their zombie army bearing down on them, the trio prepare for the worst.

\- Giselle excitedly orders Bambietta to finish them off, and the zombie obeys, rushing forward. The dead Quincy is intercepted, however, as a hail of blue-white arrows rain down on the area. A blinding light emerges from atop a nearby building, bathing the whole area in golden light. Squad 12 Captain Kurotsuchi addresses the Quincy, expressing his interest in a power that zombifies enemies. At his side are Squad 12 Vice-Captain Kurotsuchi Nemu and Ishida Uryu.

^ Recognizing Kurotsuchi as one of the Special War Potentials, Giselle calls Bambietta back. At Giselle's prompting, Bambietta fires off a barrage of Reishi, aiming to eliminate Kurotsuchi and the others in one go. The Shinigami and Ishida leap away, however. Giselle and Bambietta pursue Kurotsuchi and Nemu, who prepare a device to counter Bambietta's ability. Kurotsuchi deploys a series of balls that capture Bambietta's Reishi mid-flight, delaying the explosions by blocking the Reishi entirely. As Giselle and Bambietta pass by the balls in their pursuit, the balls explode.

^ Giselle escapes the explosions by using Bambietta as a shield. Kurotsuchi perfectly countered The Explode, but Giselle is less than concerned. After all, she's been producing zombies like crazy since the second invasion began. She surrounds herself with a mostly zombie-Shinigami army. Kurotsuchi casually laments having to fight his own allies, so he opts out. In his place, he summons a few of his experiments. Specifically, the Arrancar Cirucci, Dordoni, Luppi, and Chuhlhourne.

^ The Arrancar express their dissatisfaction. They each had someone they wanted to fight, and only Cirucci had been given the opportunity to confront the object of her grudge. Unfortunately, she is compelled to restrain herself. She hurls insults at Ishida regardless. The others try to quiet her down, but Kurotsuchi punishes them anyway.

^ Giselle laughs at the opponents who have appeared before her. Just four zombies against her army? What a joke. The Quincy's confidence seeps into the revived Arrancar, firing them up. An all-out brawl between zombies breaks out as Giselle attempts to repair Bambietta's destroyed body.

^ The other Quincies resume their attacks on Yoruichi's group, but Ishida stands in their way. Ignoring some biting shrieks from Candice, Ishida encourages the others to retreat. He hasn't had much time to adjust to his new strength, but he should be able to manage something of this level. Yoruichi insists on staying behind, but Nemu escorts Chad and Orihime a safe distance away. Yoruichi notes a distinct change in Ishida's Reiatsu. Ishida deflects the assertion and draws his bow, highlighting the striking black streak across his otherwise white uniform.

^ Chuhlhourne appears before Giselle to interrupt Bambietta's repair. The Arrancar makes quick work of the Quincy zombie, showcasing the superiority of Kurotsuchi's work over Giselle's The Zombie. Unfazed by Bambietta's defeat, Giselle calls out her true trump card. A zombified Hitsugaya Toshiro takes the stage.

^ With a single swipe of his sword, Hitsugaya tears through the battlefield, creating a jagged mountain of ice. Chuhlhourne confronts him, but is made quick work of. Kurotsuchi analyzes the difference in quality between Hitsugaya and Bambietta, and Giselle explains that Hitsugaya was turned into a zombie while still alive, making him more like his actual self. Kurotsuchi confronts Hitsugaya. He muses about the various medicines he'd like to test on the zombified Captain, and proposes that if Hitsugaya had only accepted Kurotsuchi's help from the start, this wouldn't have to happen.

^ Kurotsuchi attempts to snare Hitsugaya in a Reishi net, but the zombie Captain deftly avoids it, immediately launching into a sword attack. His technique shows the effort he put into relearning the fundamentals of swordsmanship, but still, Kurotsuchi blocks all of his attacks thanks to a sensor in the Squad 12 Captain's Zanpakuto. Hitsugaya tries to throw in a kick to avoid the sensor, but Kurotsuchi still catches it, this time countering with an explosive trap. Hitsugaya quickly freezes the wound on his leg and pushes in close. He activates his Bankai, splitting Kurotsuchi with a wave of ice, and finishing him with a sword thrust through the chest. Kurotsuchi calls out his name, and muses about the various medicines he'd like to test on him, and proposes that if he'd only accepted Kurotsuchi's help from the start, this wouldn't have happened.

^ The fight plays out again, except this time, Hitsugaya wastes no time in activating his Bankai, flash freezing Kurotsuchi, causing his body to crumble. The Squad 12 Captain calls out his name and the fight begins again.

^ Hitsugaya demands to know what is happening. Kurotsuchi, apparently waiting for this, greets Hitsugaya and explains what this new medicine of his does. Hitsugaya suddenly collapses, his body feeling the exhaustion of many battles all at once. Kurotsuchi, with a sadistic smile on his face, stabs the zombie Captain with his Zanpakuto, immobilizing him. He then injects another drug into Hitsugaya that causes him extreme pain.

^ A zombified Squad 10 Vice-Captain Matsumoto Rangiku, along with another wave of zombie Shinigami, appears to fight Kurotsuchi, so he orders the Arrancar to take care of them. Hitsugaya's screams continue.

\- Candice Catnipp lay beaten amongst a mountain of zombified soldiers. Only Liltotto and Meninas are left standing against Ishida and Yoruichi. They complain about the dire situation. Then Sternritter "L" appears.

^ Sternritter "L" Pepe Waccabrada forms a heart with his hands and fires off a heart-shaped beam of Reishi at the other Sternritter. He strikes Candice and Meninas, though Liltotto avoids it. Many of Giselle's fallen zombies are also struck. New life is breathed into the zombies as control shifts from Giselle to Pepe, and they all strike out wildly, seemingly without distinguishing between friend and foe.

^ Meninas mindlessly strikes Liltotto, and the whole group surges wildly towards Ishida and Yoruichi. The pair fends off the Love zombies whilst dodging Pepe's heart beams. That is, until Pepe takes a solid kick to the face from a zombified Vice-Captain Matsumoto.

^ In answer to Ishida and Yoruichi's confusion, Kurotsuchi appears, along with an army of newly- turned zombie soldiers. He recounts the events leading up this moment.

\- When Matsumoto collapses, he injects her and the others with the same drug he gave Hitsugaya. A cacophony of screams erupts on the battlefield. Kurotsuchi finds Giselle hiding behind some rubble and does her the courtesy of explaining the effects of his new drug. He starts by deducing how The Zombie works, then explains how changing the zombifying blood into a blood-like substance counters her ability. Effectively turning _her_ zombies, into _his_ zombies. The newly-turned zombies swarm Giselle.

\- Ishida criticizes Kurotsuchi for using the bodies of his comrades as test subjects, but Kurotsuchi defends his decision. Pepe fires a Love beam at Matsumoto in an attempt to turn her to his side. His Love is stronger than Giselle's zombification, after all. Zombie Matsumoto responds by kicking him in the face again.

^ Kurotsuchi reminds Pepe that Matsumoto and the others are no longer Giselle's zombies, they're his. And love doesn't work on his zombies. The Sternritter is promptly beaten and blasted away by a swarm of zombie Shinigami.

^ Scrambling away from where he was blasted, Pepe hides and plots his revenge. Liltotto appears with a smear of blood across her lip from where Meninas struck her. Pepe cowers as Liltotto activates her Vollstandig once again, and consumes him.

\- The Squad 13 barracks is in ruins. Squad 0's Niimaiya Ouetsu, visibly injured but still full of energy, stands opposite of Jugram Haschwalth, who is much more severely injured. Niimaiya smirks, examining his clean sword. He comments on the immaculate smoothness that prevents blood from sticking to the blade. Haschwalth clutches his bloodied, crippled arm, barely attached to his body. He scowls at the smug Shinigami.

^ Niimaiya continues to taunt Haschwalth, but the Quincy composes himself. He straightens himself out, ignoring the blood pouring out of his various bodily wounds, and interrupts with a level, yet firm, voice. He gives Niimaiya credit for defying expectations, but playtime is over. In only a moment, he will be strong enough to defeat Niimaiya easily.

^ Skeptical, Niimaiya raises an eyebrow, and before his eyes, Haschwalth's wounds begin to mend themselves. In seconds, his figure is pristine. Niimaiya is impressed and inquires into how exactly the healing worked. Feeling more confident, Haschwalth offers an explanation. Simply put, he was working with a shallow reserve of his actual power. The majority of his strength was on loan, disseminated across the entirety of the Quincy forces. Likely, that was the only reason the Quincy soldiers outclassed the Shinigami at the start. Now though, the Quincy will be helpless, and most likely disorientated with Haschwalth's influence gone. The power that once buffed them has returned to its original owner.

^ The corner of Haschwalth's mouth rises in an uncharacteristic smirk. Although he hasn't collected all of his power, he should be more than a match for the Squad 0 swordsman. The larger Quincy force will suffer for it, but it is of little issue. Yhwach will capture the Squad 13 Captain and the ultimate goal of the Quincies will be realized. There is no doubt in his mind.

^ Haschwalth raises his sword. He declares that the scales have already tipped in the Quincies' favor. Niimaiya's smirk returns, and he's eager to test if it's true. Both men flourish their blades and charge. Niimaiya swings, but Haschwalth is faster now. And the sword that could barely scathe the Shinigami's skin before easily cleaves through Niimaiya's arm in a swift upward slash. With a quick turn, the blade drops through his shoulder, catching just past the collarbone. With a quick tug and a shower of blood, Haschwalth dislodges his sword and rams it through Niimaiya's stomach. The fight is over in a flash.

^ Niimaiya coughs up blood and compliments Haschwalth's ability. Then, with a look completely devoid of humor, he locks eyes with the Quincy. Haschwalth kicks Niimaiya off the end of his blade and turns to leave.

\- Hyousube Ichibe laughs as Yhwach struggles to avoid the ink spewing from the tip of his blade. The Quincy's future sight is limited, and it can easily be muddled by powerful opponents. Most of the Shinigami Captains, and even some Vice-Captains, are strong enough to limit Yhwach's sight considerably, only allowing him to see several seconds to mere moments ahead. Hyousube, being one of the Special War Potentials, blocks Yhwach's future sight altogether.

^ Searching for an opening to attack Hyousube and stop the ink, Yhwach falls for a trap and is splashed across the chest. His royal guard move to assist, but a wave of pitch darkness washes over them, rendering them powerless.

^ Hyousube Ichibe steps forward brandishing his Zanpakuto. He explains that in the time before the term "Bankai" they simply had "Enhanced Zanpakuto." The tip of his blade reverts back to a brush with pure white bristles. Hyousube Ichibe is the "Monk Who Calls the Real Name." As such, it was his duty to name everything in the Soul Society. His Enhanced Zanpakuto gives him this power. Whatever he marks with it will be renamed by him. He swings the brush and labels Yhwach "Black Ant." And so, that is what Yhwach is. Though his form is that of a human, his existence is of no more significance than an insect beneath Hyousube's heel. The Squad 0 Commander laughs and prepares to deliver the final blow.

\- In the deepest level of the Central Great Underground Prison, Captain-Commander Kyouraku steps up to Squad 13 Captain Ukitake. The Quincy want Ukitake for some reason, and although Kyouraku has his theories, he wants to hear the reason from the man himself. Ukitake sits on the ground and begins to tell a story about his past.

^ When he was very young, Ukitake became seriously ill. The doctors in the distant, rural 78th district of the Rukongai could do nothing for him, so his parents took him to a shrine dedicated to two guardian spirits. These spirits took many forms and held many names. Sometimes they would be angelic retainers, other times demonic. They took the forms of animals, tools, and vague concepts centered around balance, depending on where they were worshipped. In some ancient cultures, for example, they took the form of the Soul King's own blades. In Ukitake's home, they took the form of the Soul King's hands. The spirit they plead with to save Ukitake's life was called Mimihagi, the Soul King's Right Hand. A power that could stop Ukitake's body from dying. Stagnation

^ Ukitake survived and was able to live his life in service of to the Soul Society thanks to the blessing of Mimihagi. In exchange, however, the spirit claimed his body, starting with his lungs. From the moment his life was saved, Ukitake knew that there would come a day when he would need to sacrifice the entirety of himself to Mimihagi. Be it the day of his death, or a day when he would need the spirit's power, he would submit himself to a process called Kamikake, literally feeding himself to his protector.

^ Ukitake reveals his back and the undulating symbol slowly growing there. Should the worst happen, whatever that may be, he will be prepared to give everything in service of the Soul King, the Seireitei, and Soul Society as a whole. The Kamikake has already begun.

^ Suddenly exhausted, Ukitake locks eyes with Kyouraku, and tells him that the Quincy are probably after this aspect of the Soul King inside of him. Should Kyouraku so choose, he could strike Ukitake down right here and now. Mimihagi will consume what remains of him and disappear where the Quincy cannot possibly reach.

\- Kyouraku looks down at his old friend with a coldness befitting the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. He asks himself what Yamamoto would have done in this situation. The first answer that comes to mind is that the old man would immediately eliminate the possibility of the enemy gaining the spirit's power. That was how he always did things, or rather, that is how he liked everyone to think. In truth, the Yamamoto he knew would seek to use whatever power necessary to protect his comrades, even if that meant sticking his hands in darkness.

^ Kyouraku turns and calls into the darkness. Aizen Sosuke responds. Ukitake realizes what Kyouraku intends to do, and tries to stop him, but the Kamikake is sapping too much of his strength.

^ A short walk from where Ukitake kneels is the prison of the traitor, Aizen Sosuke. A tall chair, covered in seals and locks the likes of which never existed before this man needed to be held. Aizen himself sits in the chair, wrapped in still more seals. His power, as immense as it is, is forcibly held back while he waits out his twenty-thousand year sentence. Kyouraku approaches him with an offer.

^ Citing the imminent threat of the Quincies, the Captain-Commander managed to convince the Central 46 to grant him three out of many keys to Aizen's prison. In the event that the enemy manages to make it down to this deepest level of the Central Great Underground Prison, Kyouraku will release these three seals, allowing Aizen to help drive them back.

^ Aizen regards Kyouraku silently for a time. Finally, he speaks as if understanding the Shinigami's intentions, agreeing on the condition that after his duty has been fulfilled, one of the three seals will remain unlocked. Kyouraku agrees after a short deliberation. He then informs Aizen that should the traitor try to kill him and keep all three seals undone, then this lowest level of the Prison, the Mukon, will be severed from Soul Society, leaving Aizen trapped for all eternity in an isolated dimension with no way in or out.

^ Kyouraku returns to Ukitake, who gives him a stern, disapproving look. The Captain- Commander shrugs lightheartedly, but then the ground begins to rumble, and Ukitake's eyes open wide with shock. An eerily familiar power begins to bleed into the space around them.

\- The man formerly known as Yhwach glares at Hyousube Ichibe. The old monk has forced his hand. He tells the Head Priest that he can take his name, but there is one existence that he cannot touch. Hyousube's eyes bulge as the Black Ant begins to radiate power akin to the Soul King's own. A dark energy swirls around the man formerly known as Yhwach, shooting up into the air over his head. The energy takes the shape of a left hand. The man formerly known as Yhwach stands. Hyousube has no power over the Soul King, nor any part of the Soul King, meaning that this aspect of the regent of Soul Society is beyond him completely. The darkness washes Hyousube's ink away, and Yhwach introduces the monk to the Left Hand of the Soul King, Pernida.

^ The dark hand, Pernida, drapes itself over Yhwach's face and a billowing cape of darkness spreads out behind him. It envelops his royal guard, washing away Hyousube's ink again. Yhwach smiles and raises his sword. No one can stand against him now.

^ Hyousube recovers from his shock and begins to swing his brush furiously. He paints the space around him in an intricate pattern while chanting. At the end, he stands amidst an intimidating black shrine, the place he calls Yhwach's final resting place. He will return the Quincy to zero. The man will not even reincarnate.

^ In a single step, Yhwach closes the gap between them. He ignores the ink spread across the ground, wiping it away with his own, somehow much deeper darkness. He tells Hyousube that with this power, the Soul King's own, he will reshape the world to reflect the values of the Quincy, and rule over it as the new god.

^ Pernida's darkness shoots out from Yhwach's sword and engulfs Hyousube, tearing the Head Priest to pieces.

\- Kurosaki Ichigo arrives at the Squad 1 barracks, along with Urahara Kisuke, Squad 5 Captain Hirako Shinji, and Squad 2 Vice-Captain Omaeda Marechiyo. The air is still. Whatever battle might have taken place here has already ended. However, a tremendous, terrible power engulfs the entire area, coming from below the barracks.

^ Driven by an ominous feeling, Ichigo pushes ahead, rushing to the front of the Squad 1 barracks. The others follow, and Yoriuchi's group, including Ishida Uryu appears, followed by Squad 6 Vice-Captain Abarai Renji and Squad 13 Vice-Captain Kuchiki Rukia. All together the group stumbles upon the remains of Hyousube Ichibe. Inoue Orihime tries to revive the Head Priest, but his body parts are too strewn about. Her Fullbring cannot revive someone who has been completely destroyed like this.

^ Ichigo hears Hyousube's voice in his head, imploring him to call out the Head Priest's name. He does so, and Hyousube's body reforms, albeit without any sort of power. He warns Ichigo and the group about the terrible power Yhwach has gained, and he requests that they stop him.

^ Ichigo agrees, and the other members of the group reaffirm their determination, even Omaeda. The group steps forward, towards the barracks entrance, but a surging burst of dark power erupts from beneath the building, throwing all of them back.

^ Darkness writhes and swells around the Squad 1 barracks. It undulates, rising like a spike being driven into the heavens. The dark power reaches up and up, forming the shape of a giant left hand before piercing the Shakonmaku, breaching the clouds, and disappearing, leaving only a swirling pillar of black. The ground begins to rumble and the air itself begins to shake with violent terror as the giant black hand returns, towing an enormous, cylindrical building. The Soul King's Palace.

\- The group stares up at the spectacle unfolding before their eyes. The magnitude is lost on Ichigo and the other humans until Urahara tells them that it is the Soul King's Palace, and that the conflict very well may have leaped to a territory that they are unable to reach. Ichigo grits his teeth at not being able to do anything.

^ Captain-Commander Kyouraku appears, carrying Vice-Captain Ise (a position she is none too happy to be in). He corrects Urahara, stating that they aren't nearly as outmatched as is reasonable to assume. He explains about Captain Ukitake and the Hands of the Soul King.

^ Aizen Sosuke, still strapped and sealed firmly to his chair, appears next, shocking everyone. Captain Hirako demands an explanation, seething. Kyouraku offers an explanation, but only after they visit the Squad 4 barracks. For the first time, his face shows the unbearable strain he is under. Though his injuries appear superficial, they are in fact quite serious.

^ No one is ready to trust Aizen with or without an explanation, but the present situation and some reasonable words from Urahara get the group moving to the Squad 4 barracks.

\- Having been treated by Squad 4 Vice-Captain Kotetsu, Kyouraku recounts the events leading up to the Soul King's Palace being brought down to the Seireitei. Hyousube offers some supplemental information.

^ Captain Ukitake's Kamikake had already begun when the lowest level of the Central Great Underground Prison was bathed in Yhwach's awful power. He was the first to notice, and with his warning, Kyouraku was able to prepare as best he could for the coming threat. He unlocked three of the seals on Aizen's chair, allowing him to move and release much greater Spiritual Pressure. Those preparations were for naught, unfortunately.

^ A power so potent it appeared as a black flood washed into the Mukon, wrapping itself around Aizen, paralyzing him. When Yhwach appeared Kyouraku attempted to stand in his way, but the Quincy ignored him, and he got a solid chunk of his gut blown away by another Quincy for his efforts. Ukitake was far too weak to even resist, and Yhwach took him effortlessly. The two of them were engulfed in the undulating darkness before disappearing from the Mukon.

^ Kyouraku ran after them, putting the gaping hole in his stomach out of his mind. He ran into Vice-Captain Ise just before the darkness enveloped the entire Squad 1 barracks. He grabbed her and fled. Then the dark hand pulled the Soul King's Palace down.

\- The group frets over what to do next. Not only has the enemy gained the power of the Soul King, but he's also captured their only hope of matching that unbelievable power. Kyouraku proposes a frontal assault. He responds to the incredulous looks from Ise, Hirako, and others with a flat, unflinching look of his own. There really is no other option, unless they wanted to take a page from the enemy's book and run and hide for a thousand years. The dissenting voices go quiet.

^ Kyouraku turns his attention to Ichigo and his friends. He speaks frankly, telling them that they aren't obligated to participate in what is likely to be a suicide attack. Still, he pleads with them to help the Soul Society. He bows his head, earning a pained, disapproving expression from Ise.

^ Ichigo takes little time to think about it. He looks to each of his friends, who each give their approval without a second thought. Ichigo tells the Captain-Commander that they'll obviously help their friends, no matter how bad things get. This is their fight too. Kyouraku thanks them, but doesn't seem particularly relieved.

^ Raucous shouting fills the halls outside, drawing closer with intermittent crashing noises. Squad 11 Captain Zaraki Kenpachi casually bursts into the room, trailing haggard members of Squad 4. Relief at seeing one of their greatest trump cards is quickly replaced by hesitance regarding the gigantic blade resting on his shoulders. Zaraki scans the room, and asks if anyone has seen Yachiru. When nobody answers, he turns to leave, but stops when Kyouraku tells him about the big fight coming up.

^ Curious about Zaraki's sword, Ichigo prods him about the giant lump of metal on his shoulder. Zaraki responds flatly, saying that it is a Zanpakuto, obviously.

^ Urahara brings up the issue of the plan. It is all well and good to make a frontal charge, but even the most straightforward operations require actual planning to run smoothly. Voicing his agreement, Squad 12 Captain Kurotsuchi, followed by an entourage consisting of Vice-Captain Kurotsuchi Nemu, unzombified Squad 10 Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Matsumoto, a group of Arrancar, and Liltotto Lamperd, enters. Everybody is speechless as this new group squeezes into the room.

^ Kurotsuchi pushes Liltotto forward. Being a Quincy, she has information that may benefit any plans they intend to make. The group regards her with hostility, to which she responds in kind, but Ichigo encourages her. He isn't concerned with her affiliation as long as she is willing to offer help. Freed from Haschwalth's influence, Liltotto is absolutely willing to betray the people that used her. At this point, beyond where any Sternritter besides the royal guards knew Yhwach would take things, there isn't too much she can offer, but she does explain the Special War Potentials list. The list consists of opponents that were powerful or clever enough to completely render Yhwach's future sight useless. The Potentials are Yamamoto Genryuusai, Hyousube Ichibe, Zaraki Kenpachi, Urahara Kisuke, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Ukitake Juushiro, and Kurosaki Ichigo.

\- Chewing on this information, Kyouraku, Urahara, and Kurotsuchi formulate a strategy revolving around the present members of the Special War Potentials. If they were significant enough to add to such a list, then that must mean the enemy perceives them as having the means to get in the way. Realizing this, the despair in the room lessens significantly.

^ While preparations for a counter attack are being made, Ichigo and his friends sit in a circle. They reflect on their past battles and growth. Taking the opportunity, Ichigo asks Ishida about his sudden power-up.

^ Ishida tells Ichigo that the change should be familiar to him, Rukia, and Renji. After all, he achieved his new power by having Shinigami power forcibly inserted into his soul. The others react to how dangerous that sounds, And Ishida doesn't deny it. He knew the risks before he asked for it. Ichigo's power is unique; an amalgam of various types of souls combined naturally into one. Ishida is different. He is a Quincy, and that's it. Adding anything extra will cause complications. In Ishida's case, gaining this new power that artificially mixes Quincy and Shinigami power will result in him losing all of his power altogether.

^ The others are shocked and horrified, but Ishida assures them that he made the choice of his own volition. He sincerely believes that the enemy they face this time is worth the sacrifice. He can't let his own people cause so much destruction, and now that they have a better idea of Yhwach's ultimate goals, the feeling is that much stronger.

^ Although this explanation leaves everyone feeling bitter, Ichigo faces Ishida. He acknowledges that this will be the last time they fight together. So, he declares, they will have to make sure they win. Smiling wryly, they bump knuckles. The others, starting with Orihime, add their fists until they are all connected in a sign of friendship. Then the world begins to quake.

\- All around the Seireitei, Rukongai, and even the world of the living, people experience the long, yet not too powerful shaking.

Captains and Vice-Captains look up from their continuing battles (which have devolved into clean-up operations at this point, due to the Quincy forces losing most of their power).

The Shiba siblings look towards the Seireitei with concern.

Ichigo's friends and family fret over the oddity of such a persistent earthquake.

\- Inside the Soul King's Palace, retainers and guards lay scattered about. Following Yhwach's incursion into the fortress-like palace, they were slaughtered, powerless against the Quincy King and his royal guards. Yhwach looks on at the crystallized form of the Soul King, having cut the regent of all things in two. His plans are practically complete with the Soul King's death, but still he is unsatisfied. In fact, he is quite displeased.

^ A dark wisp extends from Captain Ukitake's back as he kneels weakly in the Soul King's chambers. This wisp, which forms into a right hand, is wrapped around the fractured Soul King, holding the body together and preventing its total collapse. Doing this clearly puts a tremendous strain on Ukitake, and he's barely able to hold himself together, let alone the Soul King.

^ Yhwach, who had intended to use Pernida's power to steal Mimihagi from Ukitake, then combine the two aspects of the Soul King to usurp the position, bristles at Ukitake's attempt to interfere. He strikes at Ukitake, but the attack is absorbed by Mimihagi's darkness. Even when Yhwach uses the power of the Left Hand it is not enough to pierce the Right Hand's barrier.

^ A stalemate has been reached. Yhwach cannot complete his plan without Mimihagi, and he cannot break the barrier protecting the Right Hand's bearer. On the other hand, Ukitake must use the power of Mimihagi to restore the Soul King, but that will require him to lower the barrier keeping Yhwach at bay.

^ Haschwalth enters the chamber and reminds Yhwach that there is no need to rush. Ukitake is notoriously weak of constitution. With all the strain put on him, it is only a matter of time before his body fails and Yhwach can take his prize uncontested. In the meantime, Haschwalth has posted the royal guard to watch for potential attackers.

\- The shaking subsides. The plan to rescue Captain Ukitake and drive out the Quincies is in place. All that's left is to execute it. The group departs from the Squad 4 barracks and heads for the Soul King's Palace.


	6. Chapter 6

**\- The Final Push -**

\- The area surrounding the Soul King's Palace is a dead zone. Not a trace of life can be seen, heard, or sensed. The reason? An ongoing clash between the power of the Soul King's Left Hand and Aizen Sosuke's Reiatsu.

^ Aizen greets the group as if they were all on a casual outing. He seems to be enjoying his first taste of freedom in two years, even if he is tied to a chair. Being able to interact with others, be it through combat or otherwise, is also very nice for him. Most everyone shifts uncomfortably as they pass, doing their best to ignore him. He bids them farewell with the same nonchalance.

\- The group, consisting of Ichigo and his friends, Rukia and Renji, Urahara and Yoruichi, Kyouraku and Ise, Kurotsuchi and Nemu, Hirako, Hinamori, and Omaeda, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto, and Zaraki, advances on the Soul King's Palace, weaving their way through the streets surrounding the Squad 1 barracks. Kurotsuchi and Nemu split off as per the plan. Their goal is to analyze the Soul King's Reiatsu to see if he can negate it somehow. The rest continue on straight ahead.

\- Captain Kurotsuchi and Nemu make a wide circle around the Squad 1 barracks, planting monitoring devices as they go. Having planted several already, they move to a new area and run into a familiar face. Askin Nakk Le Varr rounds a corner and makes an exasperated face at them. The Quincy curses his rotten luck, but doesn't try to run this time. Instead, he simply laments how much of a pain fighting Kurotsuchi will be.

^ Kurotsuchi offers his sympathies. Having had time to analyze Quincy Reiatsu in detail, and specifically Askin's Reiatsu, a fight between them would be a simple matter for him. Askin sighs and mumbles to himself about the kind of person Kurotsuchi is. He then offers a gift, creating a drippy ball of Reishi and flicking it at Kurotsuchi, who catches the Reishi ball in a device that looks suspiciously like a catcher's mitt.

^ Captain Kurotsuchi suspects the ball is some kind of poison. Something that weakens an enemy to attacks, rather than a damaging attack itself. Askin clicks his tongue and tells the Shinigami he is wrong. Annoyed at Askin's tone, Kurotsuchi invites him to explain. The Quincy instead opts to demonstrate.

^ A dark spot appears on the ground, with Askin and Kurotsuchi at the edges. The attack, Gift Bad, as Askin calls it, starts to affect Kurotsuchi immediately. His eyes widen and he quickly steps out of the circle, injecting himself with a syringe of mysterious liquid on the way. The effects quickly disappear. Askin explains that his power, The Deathdealing, does not weaken enemies to attacks, but instead lowers their tolerance of any substance. Essentially, he has control over what constitutes a lethal dose of any substance he chooses.

^ Kurotsuchi is intrigued and goads Askin into showing him the technique again. The Quincy obliges, creating another Gift Bad with Kurotsuchi at the center. The Captain immediately vomits, but starts to analyze the ability right away. He deduces that his tolerance for Reishi has been lowered, causing him to be literally poisoned by the ambient Reishi in the air of the Seireitei. After another fit of vomiting, he pulls out two more syringes and plunges them into his thigh and neck respectively. A few seconds later, he stands with a confident smile on his face.

^ Askin is genuinely surprised this time. It is one thing for someone to leave the effective radius of his Gift Bad and recover, it is another thing entirely for someone to overcome the effects while still in the area. It just doesn't make logical sense. He quickly dismisses the attack, and then remakes it to lower the lethal dose of something else, but this time, Kurotsuchi doesn't even flinch. Askin takes a reflexive step back.

^ In response, Kurotsuchi takes a step forward. He did warn Askin that he had time to analyze his Reiatsu. On top of that, he received some vague information from Liltotto. Not enough to prepare a perfect counter, but enough to prepare a workable one. And for a scientist of his caliber, that's all he needs.

^ Regaining his composure, Askin criticizes Kurotsuchi's style and pulls out his bow. The weapon fires two arrows at once, but the Captain makes no attempt to dodge. Instead, two mechanical arms tear out of his gaudy jacket and catch the arrows, triggering another set of arms to flip out and fire a barrage of missiles at Askin, who is engulfed in fire.

^ The missile barrage continues, causing large swathes of the area to be reduced to rubble. Vice- Captain Nemu watches on with a flat expression. She diligently observes both Kurotsuchi and Askin, absorbing as much information from the fight as possible.

^ Askin stumbles out of a cloud of dust caused by a series of explosions. Covered in scorch marks and bleeding wounds, he demands to know how Kurotsuchi can fit so many missiles on his person. The truth, it turns out, is that the missile pods on his back are an armament he developed using Quincy Reishi absorption techniques as a base. All of the missiles he's fired, and all those he will fire, casing, propellant, warhead and all, are made completely from his own Reishi, just like a Quincy's arrows are made from Reishi in the surrounding area. In other words, the missiles will last as long as his Reishi does.

^ The Quincy is bombarded by missiles once again. The explosions reach high into the sky while Askin's body burns up in the resulting flames. Kurotsuchi turns to continue his analysis of the Soul King's Palace, but Askin's voice stops him. The Quincy steps out of the fire, covered in soot and dust, but ultimately uninjured. He thanks the Shinigami for making things easier on him, as taking a near lethal amount of damage from Kurotsuchi's attacks allows him to raise his own lethal dosage to the point of immunity. In other words, Kurotsuchi cannot kill him anymore.

^ Nemu watches on, concerned for Captain Kurotsuchi. The battle has developed in a dangerous direction, with Kurotsuchi receiving more and more damage from Askin's attacks and Deathdealing abilities. Kurotsuchi kneels, having lost his headdress and most of his robe. Just looking at his face shows how his countermeasures are failing to mitigate the Quincy's ability. The pair exchange insults while Kurotsuchi tries to prepare a counter measure.

^ Refusing to stand by any longer, Nemu charges, putting herself between her Captain and Askin. She beats Askin back, dealing significant damage as he has no immunity to her. But her ability to resist the lethal dose manipulation of Askin's Gift Bad are pathetic compared to Kurotsuchi's and she quickly slows down. Kurotsuchi clicks his tongue and springs forward, making use of rockets installed in his sandals to grab Nemu and escape the poison circle.

^ Kurotsuchi lectures Nemu about acting of her own accord. She offers no explanation for her actions. Nemu gives Kurotsuchi a two vials of serum he had prepared for emergencies that stymies the damage to his body. In turn he hands her a syringe of new chemicals freshly produced from his Zanpakuto. With that, he leaps back into the fray, keeping in communication with Nemu. As she still hasn't attacked enough for Askin to become immune to her Reiatsu, it will be up to her to deal the finishing blow. the quick acting poison in her hand is the key.

^ While Kurotsuchi distracts Askin, Nemu gets in close and pins the Quincy to the ground, shoving the syringe into his chest. His skin immediately begins to discolor and his body convulses. In seconds, he is frothing at the mouth and his eyes have rolled back. But it still isn't enough. With a bright flash that sends Nemu rolling across the ground, Askin stands, or rather floats, up. He has transformed. This is his Vollstandig: Hasshein.

^ A deadly field of Deathdealing expands in a wide radius around the battle, and Askin explains. He's shown Kurotsuchi his Gift Ball, the small attack at the start, and the Gift Bad, the poison zone. This three-dimensional field is his Gift Ball Deluxe, the largest poison ball he is capable of making. There will be no more ducking in and out.

^ The effects of the Gift Ball Deluxe immediately begin to affect Kurotsuchi and Nemu. All the while, Askin offers to explain the properties of his Vollstandig. It is a form that not only accelerates his ability to take in and analyze new poisons, but also augments his immunities to adapt to changes in the base poison. In short, any poison that comes from Kurotsuchi's Reishi will not affect him in this form. Furthermore, he has almost taken in enough of Nemu's Reishi to make himself immune, so very soon he will be unbeatable, at least for them.

^ Nemu stands with a determined expression. A change has come over her.

\- Nemu remembers a conversation she had with Squad 12 third seat Akon when she was young. During that time she learned of Kurotsuchi's motivations in creating her, and the expectations he truly held for her going forward. She discovered her position as Kurotsuchi's dream.

^ Nemu charges forward, ignoring the effects of Askin's Deathdealing. Incredible strength and stamina course through her body. She tears by Askin, taking off one of his arms on the way, and grabs Kurotsuchi. With him in hand, she flees to the edge of the Gift Ball Deluxe, but finds that there is a powerful barrier keeping them from leaving.

^ Kurotsuchi scolds Nemu. He never gave her a power like what she is exhibiting. But Nemu disagrees. He did give her this body, she just raised its capability to the point where it will start to destroy itself. She believes that her mission is to protect Kurotsuchi, but he informs her that her mission is to grow.

^ Depositing the Captain in a safe location, Nemu charges back at Askin, who has followed behind them. He is clearly unhappy about his arm, but is otherwise unfazed. He fires a new attack at her, the Gift Ring. It enters her eye, causing it to burst by instantly lowering the lethal dose of that one part to nothing. Nemu continues forward regardless. She focuses her power on cultivating her own soul, shaping it into a powerful energy attack that engulfs Askin in a bright explosion.

^ Nemu begins to fall. Using so much energy has left her completely drained, but she is satisfied at having protected her Captain. Then Askin steps out of the light. A massive Gift Ball envelops her. Right away, she bleeds from every orifice and her skin takes on a sickly hue. She looks to Kurotsuchi in shock and pain as her lethal dose is reduced to zero. She falls to the ground a bloody mess. Dead.

\- Kurotsuchi's eyes fixate on Nemu's dead body. He can't believe that this creation of his, this experiment that made such impressive leaps and bounds towards perfection could be destroyed like this. A phantom of the Arrancar Szayelapporo Granz leans over his shoulder to taunt him. He throws his uncompromising beliefs back in his face, taunting him with the words he used to lecture the Arrancar when they fought. The words of the phantom try to throw Kurotsuchi into despair, but the Captain raises his head and dismisses the imaginary specter.

\- Kurotsuchi activates his Bankai, and Askin's eyes widen with shock and confusion. He has information on most of the Captains' Bankai, but this one looks different from how it should. It has grown even larger, and fatter. No matter how he looks at it, Kurotsuchi's Bankai has changed dramatically.

^ Through labored breaths, Kurotsuchi explains that his new Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou is one he developed to be adaptable. He feeds it information and it produces a suitable counter for the occasion. The giant golden body of the Bankai begins to expand and deform until another, smaller Ashisogi Jizou emerges, tearing its way out of the first one's body. The new Bankai positions itself between the two combatants and starts to inflate. Kurotsuchi explains that he's just fed it some brand new information collected from monitoring devices inside Nemu's body. The Bankai explodes in an enormous cloud of poison gas.

^ Askin waves his hand in front of his face as if he's smelled something rotten and sighs. He reminds Kurotsuchi that his Vollstandig adapts his immunity. Since he's already immune to Kurotsuchi's Reiatsu, no matter how much he changes or modifies it, the immunity will hold true. Askin confidently strolls through the gas cloud to face Kurotsuchi, and begins to vomit uncontrollably.

^ In answer to Askin's shock, Kurotsuchi laughs. It seems the Quincy has misunderstood something. The poison Ashisogi Jizou just released wasn't meant to attack him directly. It was meant to mimic The Deathdealing with one specific poison in mind. In short, Askin's lethal dose to his own ability was reduced to nothing. His own Reiatsu is poisoning him.

^ Askin wipes his mouth and sneers at the Shinigami. That his own power could be turned against him is ridiculous. He increases the intensity of his Deathdealing to more quickly kill Kurotsuchi. But as he does, his own sickness intensifies as well. He attempts to fix the change Kurotsuchi made to his body, but as he tries to raise the lethal dose the effects become more pronounced.

^ Another raspy laugh escapes Kurotsuchi's lips. By the look on Askin's face, he's figured out the predicament he is in. Kurotsuchi lays out his options. He could A) Try to outlast Kurotsuchi and hope that the effects of his poison will disappear when he does, but still probably die, or B) Completely severe the flow of his own Reiatsu, leaving himself defenseless and open for Kurotsuchi to recover and kill him.

^ Panic distorts Askin's face as the intensity of The Deathdealing destroys both of their bodies. His mind races, trying desperately to find a third solution, but all that comes to mind is the horrifying smile on Kurotsuchi's face. When the vomit surging out of his throat is replaced entirely by blood, Askin makes a decision.

^ The Gift Ball Deluxe disappears as Askin transforms back to normal. In his base state, the effects of The Deathdealing will be far less potent. So even though he is still being poisoned by his own Reiatsu, he can buy himself enough time this way to escape, then cut off his power. He turns to flee, but his legs give, and he collapses, all strength gone from his limbs. Kurotsuchi taunts him by mimicking a clock. Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

^ Askin's vision swims. He looks back at Kurotsuchi, hoping that Shinigami is dead, but he is instead treated to a scene of him injecting himself with something. The Captain's breathing becomes less rough and the cloudiness over his eyes clears somewhat. It dawns on Askin that his opponent really will be able to outlast him, especially without the effects of the Gift Ball Deluxe. He immediately tries to sever the flow of his Reiatsu, but it is too late. His heart stops beating, and in his final moments he curses Kurotsuchi, taking solace in the fact that his death will mean the end of the Shinigami as well.

\- Kurotsuchi takes a deep breath. The second vial of serum that Nemu gave him will allow him to last a short while longer, and just enough it seems. He notices Askin's breathing stop and feels a sense of satisfaction in his victory. But then the poisonous effects attacking his body intensify, reaching even greater lethality than they did when Askin was pouring power into it. Kurotsuchi's vision goes haywire. He can barely move, let alone think.

^And so he forces himself to his feet. He stumbles who knows how many times, but eventually he reaches Nemu's corpse. With a shaky hand, he cracks open her skull and removes her brain. With that secure he presses a button hidden in his robe. A twinkling in the sky announces the arrival of a metal tube as it crashes and imbeds itself into the ground a short distance away. It is a healing chamber that will revitalize him.

^ But he can't make it. The effects of The Deathdealing have dissipated completely, but the damage done to his body is too severe. A deadly chain reaction has started and he has no strength to move anymore. Slumped against a slanted piece of debris, he pulls a collection of syringes out of his robe. They clink to the ground and roll. He can't even see which vial is which at this point, but still, he picks one up and plunges it deep into his chest. With one last sharp breath, his eyes glaze over and his breathing stops.

\- A hole opens up in Omaeda's shoulder and he collapses to the ground. While Hirako pulls him behind cover, the others hide as well. Somebody is targeting them from a distance. With Urahara's help, Kyouraku spots the sniper. He signals for everyone to keep moving after he is gone, and emerges from his hiding spot.

^ Lille Barro tracks Kyouraku. He can tell it's a distraction, but there's no reason not to kill the straggler. It's a law of nature that those who get separated get picked off. It shouldn't take any time at all considering the target isn't even one of the Special War Potentials. He takes careful aim this time. If the fat one was resilient enough to survive an indirect hit, then a Captain would definitely require a sure-kill shot. He fires, hitting Kyouraku directly in the chest. As the other Shinigami emerge to help Kyouraku, Lille begins to hear an odd chant. He searches for the source of the sound, but finds nothing. Until it is right behind him.

^ Captain-Commander Kyouraku appears behind the Quincy sniper, finishing off his recitation of Daruma-san Ga Koronda. He takes a swipe at Lille, but the Quincy just barely dodges, losing only the barrel of his gun.

^ Lille tires to figure out how the Shinigami managed to get behind him from such a distance, and Kyouraku is shocked that the Quincy doesn't know Daruma-san Ga Koronda. To answer Lille's confusion regarding his teleportation, Kyouraku explains the rules of the children's game. Turns out Lille knows a similar game, which bums Kyouraku out.

^ Knowing the rules of the game, Lille deduces that Kyouraku created an illusion, then followed the trail of Reishi left by his sniper shot to teleport behind him. Kyouraku applauds his deduction, except for the illusion part. He never made an illusion, instead, he left his Reiatsu behind, creating a convincing clone that can fool even the most perceptive opponents.

^ Lille Barro raises his damaged gun against Kyouraku, who begins his chant of Daruma-san Ga Koronda. The Shinigami disappears. Lille searches him out, turning on Kyouraku as he launches an attack from behind. A quick shot from Lille's gun pierces Kyouraku's chest. Then Lille jumps, avoiding an attack from his own shadow. Kyouraku congratulates the Quincy on seeing through his sneak attack once again. Lille responds by placing a hole in Kyouraku's foot. Lille explains that he is Sternritter "X" The X-Axis. His power is to pierce through anything. With that, he places a shot through Kyouraku's throat.

^ Kyouraku appears behind Lille again. Another convincing copy. The game is in full swing, and it won't end until one of them is dead.

\- Captain Hirako pushes the group to move on, to Vice-Captain Hinamori's dismay. He offers Vice-Captain Ise the option to stay and help, which she takes. The group, sans Kyouraku and Ise, leaves the Captain-Commander to his duties.

\- At close range, Kyouraku takes off another chunk of Lille's gun. The Quincy jumps back and restores the weapon, as it is a construct of his Reishi. It is his version of the Quincy bow. Kyouraku appears behind Lille yet again. Lille dodges, and is reminded that losing sight of the Shinigami means opening himself up to an attack. He continues to dodge attacks as a whole group of shadow Kyourakus descend upon him. Overwhelmed from all sides, Lille is run through by Kyouraku's blade.

^ Lille's closed eye opens. When both of his eyes are open, the powers of The X-Axis become complete. His body slides off of Kyouraku's sword, like water flowing around a patch of oil. This is the third time in the fight that he's had to open his eye, something he rages about. He was the first of the Sternritter to be recognized by Yhwach. To be forced to open his eyes so many times is the greatest insult. He activates Vollstandig.

^ An explosion of blue/white light in the shape of a Quincy cross envelops Lille Barro. When he emerges, his form has changed drastically. His arms have disappeared and his torso tapers off into points in place of his legs. His body is supported by eight holed wings that unfurl around him. A wide halo hovers just over the tall collar around his head. This is Lille's Vollstandig: Jilliel.

^ The holes in Lille's wings, three holes per wing, begin to glow. Kyouraku attempts to move, anticipating an attack, but is unable to avoid the barrage of shots fired from the wing holes, and is pierced multiple times. Fortunately, none of the injuries are too severe, though he has some large chunks conspicuously missing.

^ The chase begins. Kyouraku ducks inside a building to avoid Lille's attacks, but the Quincy's Vollstandig offers a variety of new powers to deal with. In order to cut Kyouraku off, Lille teleports inside of the building. Kyouraku tries a powerful Kido attack to test the Quincy's resilience, destroying much of the building in the process.

\- Captain Hirako leads the group closer to the Squad 1 barracks and the Soul King's Palace. A powerful Reishi suddenly appears and charges straight for the group. The attacker lands before the group in a grand explosion of dust.

^ Sternritter "M" Gerard Valkyrie emerges from the dust and congratulates the Shinigami for making it so far. He then challenges them in a manner most heroic. Abarai Renji steps up to hold the Quincy off while the others continue on, but Gerard is not about to let them get by. He repeats his challenge, offering to take them all on at once.

\- Captain-Commander Kyouraku hides in an alley. The Kido attack was less than ineffective. It had no effect at all. Reasoning that the rest of the group should be far away by now, Kyouraku pulls out his last resort. He activates his Bankai. He stabs one of his swords into the ground and it melts into an inky blackness in the shape of a tree sprouting from where sits. A shadowy presence rests on his shoulder.

\- Darkness falls over the Seireitei, casting the streets and buildings in shadow. The Shinigami group shivers, as if an unknowable threat looms just over their shoulders. Even Gerard Valkyrie appears unsettled by the sudden change in atmosphere. The ominous chill extends even to those fighting elsewhere in Soul Society.

\- Lille Barro observes the changed scenery. He suspects that this must be the effect of some kind of illusion. Kyouraku emerges, trailing a twirling, wispy shadow. He asks Lille how the world looks to him right now, all but confirming his illusion theory. Unwilling to humor Kyouraku any longer, Lille flies directly over the Shinigami's head and fires a barrage from his wings. The surrounding area is devastated. Buildings are either reduced to rubble or scattered about like children's playthings.

^ The Gotei Captain-Commander's Bankai is unknown to the Quincy, but one thing Lille knows for sure is that if the wielder of the sword disappears, so too does its effects. It is then that Lille notices a significant chunk of his abdomen missing. Kyouraku emerges from the rubble to explain. This is the First Act, Hesitance and Apportionment of Wounds. Any damage that either of them take will be shared with the other. Another gaping hole opens up in Lille's body, this time on his shoulder. This is the power of Kyouraku's Bankai: Katen Kyokotsu Karamatsu Shinjuu.

^ The Second Act, The Pillow of Shame, begins. Black spots appear all over Lille's body and he begins to bleed profusely from his eyes and nose. It is as if the Quincy has taken ill, horribly so.

^ Moving on to the Third Act, The Severing Abyss, both Kyouraku and Lille are suddenly submerged in a massive amount of water. This is a prison that will hold both of them until one of their Reiatsu runs out. Lille tries to escape, flying to what appears to be the surface, but no matter how far or how fast, he only seems to be getting further and further away. Kyouraku mocks him for trying, standing in the same spot, as if Lille hasn't moved an inch.

^ A woman appears behind Kyouraku and rests her arms on his shoulders, and they exchange familiar greetings. This is the spirit of Katen Kyokotsu. Lille does not see the spirit, and assumes that Kyouraku is talking to himself. The Quincy charges, declaring that something like a Shinigami's Bankai couldn't possibly kill him.

^ The Final Act starts. Kyouraku sheaths his blade and allows Lille to approach. In the blink of an eye, he strikes. A tear opens in Lille's throat, it expands, eventually leading the Quincy's head to explode. Lille's body falls, and so too does Kyouraku's. Exhausted, and on his last legs from the effects of his own Bankai, he falls, resting his head on Katen Kyokotsu's lap. The Captain- Commander of the Gotei 13 breathes a sigh of relief. Then a powerful beam of Reishi bursts through his stomach.

^ Lille Barro's head reforms, slightly deformed from its previous image. It is more bird-like, though still recognizable. Lille begins to rant about his duty as the first Sternritter, about his holy mission to protect Yhwach and the world he seeks to create. His power rising rapidly, Lille raises his arm, firing off a wide beam that digs a sizeable chunk out of the ground.

^ Kyouraku manages to survive, but just barely. He escapes the powerful attack and hides. Unfortunately, the hole in his stomach is a grievous injury. Katen Kyokotsu tends to him, and offers an escape. Kyouraku closes his eye and begins to drift, but he is immediately awoken by someone tugging at his collar and shouting his name.

^ Vice-Captain Ise Nanao pulls Kyouraku's face closer, shouting at him to wake up. He tries to speak, but blood forces its way out of his mouth instead. Ise begs her Captain to use her Zanpakuto, to forget about the promise he made to her mother. Kyouraku is surprised that Ise knows about said promise, but before he can ask her about it, Lille finds them and attacks. Kyouraku, alongside Ise, hides in the shadows.

^ The Captain-Commander decides that since Ise already knows about her mother and the promise he made to her, he will return her Zanpakuto to her. A spirit that would normally accompany Kyouraku's Zanpakuto appears behind Ise.

\- Ise is stunned by the revelation that one half of her Captain's Zanpakuto is her own. Kyouraku tells her the story of the promise he made to her mother, his sister-in-law.

^ There is a curse on the Ise family, or so the story goes. Only women are ever born into the family as far back as the family tree has been recorded, and whenever a man would marry into the family, they would die young. Nanao's mother sought to break that curse by severing ties with the family and marrying Kyouraku's older brother. Unfortunately, the man died and the curse continued. But Nanao's mother had a theory. She suspected that it was her Zanpakuto.

^ A unique example among Zanpakuto, Nanao's blade is one that is transferred from person to person. It is the not the Zanpakuto of just one person, but of every member of the Ise family in succession. Utilizing its ability to change hands, Nanao's mother left the blade in Kyouraku's care. The spirit that made up one half of his Zanpakuto's spirit manifested in order to hide it. The spirit pulls a sword wrapped in cloth from the shadows.

^ Nanao declares that she will accept the sword despite the curse, and Kyouraku finally gives it back to its rightful owner. He explains the sword's history. The Ise family has always been known as a Shinto family, tending ceremonial sights and overseeing spiritual rituals, but under the surface they were renowned as assassins that could complete any contract without incident. The Zanpakuto itself has no blade. Instead, it has the uncanny ability to lock on to a target, slowly acclimating to the target's Reiatsu and honing in on their spirit. Upon fully locking onto an opponent and after a Bankai release, the sword finally gains a blade and seeks out its target. It is a blade without the purifying properties of a regular Zanpakuto. The Soul Severing Blade, Hakkyouken.

\- Realizing that Kyouraku and Ise are hiding in the shadows, Lille creates a magnificent orb of light to flush them out. This works, though not in the way he expects. Ise, carrying Kyouraku, burst forth from a shadow his orb created on his nose. Ise sets Kyouraku down gently and turns to face Lille, tearing the cloth away from her Zanpakuto and revealing its ornate design. Lille scoffs at the simple Vice-Captain that thinks she can stand against him.

^ Ise stands before the Quincy, doing her best to remain composed. After all, this is an opponent who could best Kyouraku, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. When he taunts her about her sword's appearance, she puts on a confident front. She raises the sword, as if to strike, and Lille laughs. The sound of his voice is hardly jovial, though. It is filled with malice and annoyance. No blade can touch him, let alone wielded by someone so weak. His outburst puts a dent in Ise's facade.

^ Lille's wings begin to glow, the holes filling with ominous blue/white light. The glow is so intense that Ise can't help but step back. Too powerful. How could she stand against something like that with a sword she's only just claimed as her own? Ise freezes in the midst of that overwhelming power.

\- Ise Nanao recalls the first time she realized that Captain Kyouraku was the man her mother entrusted something precious to. She remembers studying to serve Soul Society, being unable to manifest a Zanpakuto, finding a talent with Kido, and being unexpectedly assigned to the Gotei 13 as a member of Squad 8. She is reminded of her resolve. This allows her to stand her ground, but that is all.

^ Kyouraku struggles to his feet. He's been entrusted with so many important things, only for the original owner to end up dead. As the most important thing he was entrusted to take care of, he stands to support Nanao.

\- Ise's shaking subsides, but even with the Captain-Commander lending her support, they are still faced with a seemingly insurmountable enemy. In a weak voice, Kyouraku reminds Ise that the sword has already done its duty. As he fought the Quincy, Hakkyouken was locking on to his Reiatsu. The target is in sight, all she has to do is swing.

^ Ise raises the sword above her head and releases her Bankai. And nothing happens. The swords appearance doesn't even change. Strength giving out, Kyouraku falls to his knees. Lille laughs in a shrill shriek. As if to taunt the Shinigami even more, the intensity of the attacks he is preparing increases and he begins to monologue about their sins. Frightened beyond belief, Ise shouts, swinging the sword straight down in a desperate hope that something, anything will happen. But nothing does.

^ Lille laughs once more. Their pathetic display is at an end, and now they will die. Struck down by the might of the Quincy. He raises his hand, pointing directly at Ise and Kyouraku, and says his goodbyes. He tries to fire his attacks, but the lights wink out before he can. He only has a moment to wonder what has happened.

^ To Ise's shock, the light of Lille's attacks goes out. He hovers silently in the air for a moment, before finally, his body begins to shift. A thin line appears down the center of his form and expands as his body, now split in two, falls and withers away. His spirit has been severed, and he will suffer the same fate as hollows killed by Quincy. Just beyond Lille's disappearing body, right behind where he was hovering, in fact, floats Kyokotsu, the assassin spirit that once made up one half of Katen Kyokotsu, in the same pose as Ise.

^ The wielder and spirit look at each other for what feels like minutes before Kyokotsu vanishes into shadow and Ise collapses, completely drained. Kyouraku, having only barely managed to return to his feet, catches her as she slips. He congratulates her on a job well done, and makes to catch up with the rest of the group. He makes it a few steps before collapsing himself. He's not going anywhere for a while, and neither is Ise. The pair tend to their wounds, job done.

\- Gerard Valkyrie is sent crashing through a building by Renji and Rukia. They are slightly unnerved by how easily their fight is going. Well enough that most of the others don't need to get involved. Renji remarks that Mask put up more of a fight. Gerard, laying beaten on some rubble confidently proclaims that he will win. Coming back from such a beating would truly be miraculous.

^ Growing ever more impatient, Zaraki Kenpachi steps up to the beaten Quincy and raises his enormous cleaver of a sword. With a series of chops that shake the ground beneath their feet, he reduces the Quincy to mince meat, much to Vice-Captain Hinamori's horror. The group moves on.

\- Another enemy appears in their way, however. A young man in a white jacket stands in the road. He regards the group with a smug sense of superiority. Captain Hirako, in the lead heaves an exasperated sigh and charges at the roadblock. He activates his Shikai, flipping the opponents senses. The Quincy doesn't seem to be effected however. In fact, he declares that whatever power Hirako's Zanpakuto has, he doesn't think it will affect him.

^ Following up Hirako's attack, Hinamori fires a barrage of fireballs, engulfing the Quincy in a series of explosions. Still, the enemy remains completely unharmed. He says that the fire doesn't seem like it would be that hot to him.

^ On their guard now, the group cautiously keeps their distance. The mysterious Quincy turns to Hirako and Hinamori and poses a question. What might it be like if their bones were made of cookies? Hirako almost opens his mouth to ask his own question, but then Hinamori's leg snaps. Confused, Hirako leans to lend her a hand, and his arm breaks like a twig, then his leg. They both realize something is very wrong, and Hinamori almost loses her cool. Only the others' presence and Hirako's cool head keep her from freaking out.

^ Zaraki steps up once again, and the Quincy marvels at being challenged by one of the Special War Potentials, and introduces himself as Sternritter "V" Gremmy Thoumeaux. A name that everyone in the group recalls, as it he is the only member of the royal guard whose power Liltotto knew for sure. He can make anything he imagines into reality and is considered to be the strongest of the Sternritter because of it. Zaraki scoffs at the thought and takes it upon himself to see just how strong this smug little prick is.

^ Gremmy lightheartedly challenges Zaraki to try and cut him, though he doesn't think he'll be able to. All he has to do is imagine that he is stronger than steel and that will be that. Zaraki steps forward casually, raising his Zanpakuto. He brings it down hard on Gremmy's shoulder, and for a moment, it seems like the Quincy's power has worked. He begins to gloat before the giant blade smashes through his flesh, hacking his entire arm off.

^ Zaraki looks down on the Quincy and explains that if his opponent is harder than steel, then he just has to cut him the same way he'd cut something harder than steel. There is nothing that Gremmy can imagine that Zaraki cannot cut. That is what it means to be Kenpachi.

^ Gremmy's wound is healed in an instant. After all, all he has to do is imagine that his arm is repaired, and it is so. He smiles, and declares that he will fight without raising a finger. He will achieve victory entirely in his own mind.

^ A massive plume of lava appears behind Gremmy. He sends it surging at Zaraki and the rest, but the Kenpachi splits the flow with one mighty swing, completely diverting the attack. Zaraki takes his turn to attack while the others try to get Hirako and Hinamori to safety. He leaps into the air for another slash, but he is suddenly suspended in a cube of water. Before he can react, the water begins flowing into a fissure that was already there, taking the Squad 11 Captain with it. Then the fissure seals itself, trapping Zaraki, submerged in water, in the ground.

^ The ground explodes in massive chunks of debris. Gremmy makes chunks of stone flying at him vanish. Zaraki takes the chance to get in close while the Quincy is distracted. Gremmy makes a thick, durable pillar appear to block Zaraki's attack, but it barely works, forcing him to adapt on the spot. Zaraki notices that Hirako and Hinamori are able to move without breaking and deduces that Gremmy's power only works as long as he's focused.

^ Gremmy smiles, and Zaraki questions him. Is this all he wants? A fight? As the strongest Sternritter, shouldn't he want to take on the strongest and destroy him to prove his strength? This idea seems to resonate with Gremmy. He finds himself being influenced by Zaraki's way of thinking.

^ The fight escalates, with Zaraki charging forward as before, and Gremmy distorting the ground, causing it to shoot up like giant snakes to intercept and crush his opponent. As Zaraki works his way through the obstacles, his words burrow deeper into Gremmy's mind, firmly taking root. As the Kenpachi forces his way through, Gremmy throws himself wholly into the fight, summoning a litany of firearms to fire on Zaraki, followed by a barrage of missiles that engulf him in explosions. Before it can reach its target, one of the missiles is spilt cleanly in two, causing it to explode before getting far. Zaraki emerges from the explosion no worse for wear.

^ Gremmy is euphoric. He summons a series of massive blades to stab through Zaraki, but the Shinigami easily cuts through them instead. He brings his massive Zanpakuto down smashing into Gremmy's shoulder again, but the Quincy's body doesn't give as easily as before. The brief time lag that creates gives Gremmy a chance to counter from behind, smashing Zaraki with a giant hand. The Captain immediately splits the hand down the center, shooting up and out of it. It is then that Gremmy realizes that he's taken another hit, and since he was slow to realize he'd taken damage, he's slow to heal. Zaraki bears down on him, shredding him with his massive blade. When Zaraki asks him what the problem is, Gremmy recovers from all the damage. He apparently hadn't been taking this seriously enough, but that will change going forward.

\- The fight between Zaraki and Gremmy drifts further and further away from the group. While Hirako and Hinamori tend to their wounds, the others prepare to provide support. Just as they are about to leave, though, a gigantic foot slams down on the ground behind them. Standing from where his corpse was left, and towering well above the highest buildings in the area, Gerard Valkyrie declares the miracle of his restoration.

^ Gerard sweeps the ground with a monstrous arm, demolishing the area where the group was waiting. They all manage to avoid the attack, but subsequent sweeps catch almost everyone off guard. Omaeda, having recovered from his wound from earlier, takes Hirako and Hinamori and flees at top speed. Taking charge from there, Urahara tells Ichigo and friends to keep moving. This fight may take a while, and that's time they don't have to waste. That leaves Urahara, Yoruichi, Rukia, Renji, Hitsugaya, and Matsumoto to hold Gerard at bay.

^ The group launches their own attacks against the giant, but nothing seems to work. Most of their attacks glance off, and those that do hit hard enough to leave a mark only make him grow bigger. Growing frustrated once again that he, a Captain, would have so much trouble, Hitsugaya resorts to activating his Bankai. This is the first time since Kurotsuchi modified it. That is incredibly unsettling, but in exchange, the power goes beyond anything he's experienced so far. In just a few quick swipes, Gerard is encased in ice.

^ Still, Gerard is unfazed. He bursts from the ice as if nothing happened and continues his rampage. Hitsugaya tries again, sending glacier-sized mountains of ice at the Quincy. The other members of the group complain as they have to dodge Hitsugaya's ice as much as Gerard's oversized limbs.

^ Kurotsuchi's words come to Hitsugaya's ears. He tells his fellow Captain that with the modified Bankai, his power will be increased exponentially, but the drawbacks will be just as severe. The Ice petals that signal how long Daiguren Hyourinmaru can be used without problem will likely disappear at an accelerated rate. And just as he remembers these words, the last of the petals vanishes, and an unbelievable pain wracks Hitsugaya's body. He falls to the ground as his own Bankai destroys his body from the soul outward.

\- Zaraki emerges from another cloud of dust. He's showing signs of damage, but by his expression and the way he moves, none of it is worth worrying about. Gremmy, on the other hand, shows absolutely no signs of damage. Every hit he takes is immediately recovered. Still, he acknowledges the threat that Zaraki poses. In order to respect their status as the strongest, Gremmy decides to unleash his ultimate ability. He splits into two, recreating himself and doubling the power of his imagination.

^ A great ball of flame appears in the sky over Seireitei. It pierces the atmosphere on a collision course with the Soul Society. It is a gigantic meteor that would most certainly annihilate everything indiscriminately. Only Gremmy could possible survive.

\- The glow from the giant meteor illuminates everything in the Seireitei. Urahara regards the imminent doom with shocked amazement, but doesn't have time to ogle. Captain Hitsugaya is dying and there's only one thing to be done for it. He activates his Bankai. A giant woman appears behind Urahara and cups her hands around Hitsugaya's convulsing form.

^ Matsumoto and Yoruichi come to check on Hitsugaya and Urahara, but he has everything under control. The most they can do right now is keep the Quincy off him until he has finished restructuring Hitsugaya. They agree and turn to leave, but Urahara stops Yoruichi. He asks her to transform, but she refuses on the grounds that it is unnecessary. Urahara still wants her to transform just in case, so he forces her to, triggering a pre-established mechanism that gives Yoruichi incredible power at the cost of most of her reasoning skill.

^ Yoruichi rejoins the fray, and Urahara once again looks up at the meteor hurdling towards them.

\- Zaraki smiles as wide as he ever has at the sight of the giant falling space rock. Without any hesitation, he leaps into the air to meet the thing, and takes a heavy swing with Nozarashi, his Zanpakuto. Huge chunks of rock chip off of the surface, but the meteor itself is still perfectly intact. The rock hammers Zaraki in the air and sends him falling towards the earth at high speed. He hits the ground hard, having taken sever, crippling damage from the veritable force of nature that Gremmy has created.

^ Lying on the ground, too injured to move, Zaraki hears a familiar voice. It is Vice-Captain Kusajishi, at last. He'd been looking for her ever since he returned from the Mukon. She comments on the condition of his body, sounding apologetic. But she reassures him that things will be fine if they use "that." Before he can attempt to question what "that" is, she answers. Bankai.

^ Zaraki Kenpachi transforms. His skin turns a deep, blood red and his presence becomes that of a demon. His giant cleaver changes too, becoming a shoddy, almost primitive version of itself. Zaraki rests the blade on his shoulder and gets down on all fours, growling like a beast. Seeing the transformation, Gremmy recoils. The sudden burst of power is mind numbing. Just looking at the man he'd just been fighting fills him with fear.

^ Zaraki explodes off the ground so hard that his legs flap limply in the air behind him, barely still attached to his body. He reaches the meteor again in an instant. Kusajishi, or rather, Nozarashi, apologizes for not limiting his power properly, as his true strength is too much for even his body. In one world-shattering swing that nearly tears his arm off, Zaraki obliterates the meteor, sending devastating shockwaves across the Soul Society, the Rukongai, and beyond. In the world of the living, Richter scales pick up slight tremors from the attack that are mistaken for aftershocks.

^ Gremmy Thoumeaux watches on in disbelief. His other self crumbles as all focus flees from his mind. The man he is fighting, no, the monster he was trying to fight will soon return to the ground to continue where they left off. He'll have to fight that devil face to face. Gremmy's heart races and his body becomes drenched in cold sweat. Zaraki lands in a heap. Three of his limbs are hanging on by a few strands of muscle, yet he still claws at the ground and tries to stand. His eyes, devoid of pupils, stare directly at Gremmy. The fear is too much, and Gremmy imagines what it would be to fight that thing. He comes to the conclusion that there is nothing he could possibly do to counter such strength. At that, Gremmy self-destructs. The image of him being utterly destroyed is so strong and clear that it becomes reality without him even realizing it. In the end, he thanks his power for sparing him the actual experience of fighting Zaraki Kenpachi.

^ Vice-Captain Omaeda, still carrying Hirako and Hinamori, stumbles into the sight of the fierce battle on Hirako's orders. Captain Hirako has Omaeda set them down next to Captain Zaraki, who has reverted back to normal with horrible injuries. He lies unconscious with his jagged, unreleased blade clutched weakly in the fingers of the only hand still firmly attached to his body. Hinamori begins to perform healing arts on him to try and stabilize his condition.

\- Urahara Kisuke wipes his brow and sighs. Of all the things he was prepared to deal with right now, a world-ending meteor was not one of them. Though, even with that threat gone, the situation on the ground was not developing as well as he'd like.

^ Matsumoto is knocked out fairly early in the fight, her comparatively low power preventing her from keeping up with the others. Rukia and Renji fair much better. The boost in power from their training with Squad 0 allows them to not only stay in the fight, but to also direct its pace. They are able to counter Gerard's massive attacks, Rukia by slowing and eventually freezing his limbs, and Renji with powerful attacks from his new Bankai. Their attacks and formations revolve around the sporadic attacks of Yoruichi, who in her transformed state cannot exactly make and execute plans. In this transformed state, a modified Shunko, she is immensely powerful. Her high speed blows knock the giant off balance as if he is fighting someone equal in size.

^ After repeated attacks, the team manages to sever one of Gerard's arms. He cries out in pain, but that quickly turns to laughter, as his severed arm reconstitutes itself, bigger and stronger than before. The more damage is done to him, the more he grows and the stronger he gets. Soon enough, the teams attacks are barely leaving a mark, and Gerard's head is almost on an equal plane with the fallen Soul King's Palace. He lets out a hearty laugh as we swats Rukia and Renji away.

^ Yoruichi continues her assault alone, but even her super powered Shunko has little effect anymore. Feeling the pressure that the ever growing Gerard exudes, Yoruichi launches as powerful an attack as she is capable of. She shoots through the air, a lightning bolt burning through the air faster than the eye can follow, and slams into Gerard's massive shield. The shield explodes, sending giant, jagged shards of metal to rain down on the surrounding area, and lodge themselves in Gerard's face and chest. So quick as to be at the same moment, Yoruichi bursts through the Quincy's neck, severing his head from his body. His body and head fall to the ground, crushing hundreds of tightly packed buildings.

^ Yoruichi lands and tiredly makes her way back to Urahara's side, where she curls up and transforms back to her original state. Urahara pats her sleeping head, thankful to have someone so reliable at his side.

^ A pillar of blue/white light erupts from Gerard's body. With a thunderous noise that sounds frighteningly like two feet landing hard, a form appears in the light. It is larger than Gerard just was by almost half. When the Quincy emerges, his appearance has taken on an inhuman quality. He resembles a stone sentinel of colossal size with beautiful wings spreading out to either side. Despair sets in when that monster's eyes fall on Urahara.

\- Gerard calls out in a voice that shakes the very foundations of the Soul Society. He declares himself the shield that will protect the new world in its infancy. His first act as the world's protector will be to crush the Shinigami and all they have built beneath his boot.

\- Urahara ignores the colossus. Yoruichi couldn't kill him, and his own skills aren't particularly suited to direct combat. That leaves their last hope on the shoulders of the young Squad 10 Captain. If he can only makes sense of Kurotsuchi's design, he can fill in the gaps the other scientist's modifications left. Urahara breathes a heavy sigh as Hitsugaya's Reiatsu finally begins to stabilize. That sigh catches in his throat when that Reiatsu begins to explode. His Bankai's hands are quickly covered in crystals of ice, so he dismisses it. The frozen air surrounding Hitsugaya turns to mist.

\- Hitsugaya emerges from the mist a changed man. His body's age has apparently accelerated, giving him the appearance of a grown adult. He examines himself with curiosity and annoyance. Why does he have to be so tall? Urahara explains that Hitsugaya's Bankai was releasing its power at a rate that Hitsugaya's young body could not handle, so he gave him the body of an adult that could not only withstand that power, but hopefully also use it. If he doesn't like it, Urahara adds, they can just have Kurotsuchi undo his modifications. Hitsugaya clicks his tongue and turns towards the colossus threatening them.

^ Hitsugaya has wings too. He wraps himself in Daiguren Hyourinmaru's ice and rises to meet the Quincy's blank, inhuman eyes. Gerard acknowledges the new power gained by one of his weaker opponents and declares his intention to snuff out the Shinigami's hope with his miraculous power. Hitsugaya rolls his new shoulders, trying to get a feel for the new proportions, and pointedly ignoring the babbling Quincy.

^ His ire stoked, Gerard swings his tremendous sword. Hitsugaya grips his Zanpakuto in both hands, adapting his sword lessons to his larger body, and swings at the approaching blade. For a moment, the air itself is frozen solid in a massive sheet of ice that splits the Quincy's blade in two. Finally, Hitsugaya feels satisfied. He turns to meet Gerard's shocked face and smirks.

^ Gerard scoffs at the Shinigami's confidence. His miraculous power will simply restore the sword formed by his own Reishi. No matter how strong the enemy may be, the shield of the new Quincy world will not waver. Except, the sword does not reform. The frozen tip lays lodged in the ground, and the piece in his hand remains splintered and frozen. This is the power of the strongest ice and snow type Zanpakuto. Hitsugaya can freeze anything to the extent that all of its functions cease.

^ Urahara slaps Yoruichi's butt to wake her, earning himself a swift kick to the head. She is still exhausted, and the events while she was transformed are fuzzy, but she gets the gist of what's happening quickly. She leaps into action, preparing to strike at just the right moment.

^ Gerard howls as he pulls one of his arms close to his chest, frozen to the elbow and missing a number of fingers. Hitsugaya's smug expression has changed into one that looks very much like pity, and that infuriates the Quincy. He decides that if Hitsugaya can freeze anything to stop its function, he'll just use something that can't be frozen or have its functions stopped. Gerard claps his hands together. A bright blue/white light shoots out from between his palms. He pulls his unfrozen hand back, and the light takes the form of a massive bow. Reishi cannot be turned to ice and its functions are independent from physical form and temperature. Hitsugaya stares at the Quincy flatly, and tells him that he knows a few people that would disagree. He counts himself among them.

^ Hitsugaya points his sword at the Quincy, and in that moment, the colossus is flash frozen, Reishi and all. Yoruichi appears in her regular Shunko form and launches a powerful lightning attack at the frozen Quincy. The colossal sentinel shatters, the larger pieces crumbling and collapsing under their own weight until there is nothing left but icy mist.

^ Yoruichi returns to Urahara with Hitsugaya on her shoulder. It seems using his Bankai in that state is incredibly taxing even with the aged up body. Urahara couldn't quite perfect Kurotsuchi's design after all. He's kind of impressed.


	7. Chapter 7

**\- Fate -**

\- Ichigo speeds towards the Squad 1 barracks with his friends close behind. He grits his teeth as the Reiatsu from his allies grows weak, but he pushes on. There's no time to waste worrying. The group quickens their pace and arrives at the barracks, only to find it heavily guarded by elite Quincy guards. Ichigo and friends tear through these guards like wet tissue paper, scaling the barracks with their eyes set firmly on the Soul King's Palace. They come to the inky black arm of the Soul King's Left Hand jutting from roof. After the sudden discovery that they can't just jump up, the group deliberates on what to do next. One short argument later, Chad probes the arm with a quick punch, revealing it to solid enough to scale.

\- Yhwach opens his eyes. He stands in the Soul King's chambers, fuming. He feels the disturbance through Pernida and sends Haschwalth to intercept the intruders. Then he turns back to Squad 13 Captain Ukitake, looking far worse for his efforts to maintain the Soul King. His sunken eyes stare, unblinking as sweat pours down his face. His breaths are labored and raspy. Yhwach wonders if the man even knows where he is anymore, or if the Right Hand is merely using an empty shell. Either way, the vessel will not last much longer. All Yhwach must do is bide his time and his victory will be assured.

^ In his confidence, Yhwach fails to see that Ukitake has fixed his foggy eyes on him.

\- Looking up the massive spire of the Soul King's Palace fills Ichigo and friends with resolve. After a short rest, they begin their final charge to the top, blowing through countless Quincy jobbers. With Orihime and Chad running interference and Ichigo and Ishida cutting straight through, the group reaches the top without breaking a sweat. In contrast, an ominous sense of dread grows stronger and stronger as they approach their goal. And in their way at the last moment, Jugram Haschwalth appears.

^ Radiating a truly oppressive power, Haschwalth draws his sword. He declares his intent to stop Ichigo and his friends from going any further. He does this not only because he is Yhwach's loyal retainer, but because he truly believes in the ideal Quincy world Yhwach wants to create. Ishida steps forward and tells the others to go ahead. He has some unfinished business with Haschwalth, who scoffs at the idea of a weakling like Ishida holding him off alone. A blue/white arrow with a tinge of black slamming into his guard makes him eat his words.

^ Ichigo, Orihime and Chad run past Haschwalth while the Quincy leader stands shocked. He stares at Ishida with a mix of disbelief and unbridled rage. Ishida smirks. If Haschwalth is shocked that a Quincy could become powerful enough to face him without his power and influence, then Ishida has even more surprises in store for him. But no, Haschwalth stabs his sword into the ground hard enough to cause it to rumble and crack. He screams at Ishida for tainting himself with the power of the Shinigami. That Ishida dares call himself a Quincy, that he would dare use Quincy techniques, that he would have the blood of the righteous Quincy flowing through his veins is the greatest insult. Ichigo and the others are of little concern. With Pernida's power, Yhwach should be able to handle them without issue. That leaves Haschwalth to cleanse the world of Ishida Uryu's taint before it is reborn. Haschwalth's power surges even higher as he pulls all of the power he has distributed thus far back to himself.

^Ishida recovers from the shock of Haschwalth's outburst and power up. He readies a Reishi sword to match his opponent's. There is a distinct streak of black in the blue/white glow that reminds him of his time limit. He needs to defeat Haschwalth quickly and go help the others.

\- Ichigo, Orihime, and Chad scale the stairs leading to the Soul King's quarters. Tensions are high, and Orihime and Chad worry about getting in the way. They can tell how much stronger Ichigo has gotten, and they aren't sure if their own growth will allow them to stand on the same level. But Ichigo dispels those concerns. Without even considering otherwise, Ichigo tells his friends that he's relying on them. He firmly believes that it will take all three of them to win. There won't be any lone hero moments this time. Orihime and Chad perk up. Those words of confidence completely blow away their worries, and the group's pace quickens.

\- Chad punches through the doors leading to the Soul King's quarters and the group rushes in, ready to fight. However, what they see in the room stuns them for a moment. Squad 13 Captain Ukitake Juushiro kneels on the floor, emaciated and nearly completely enveloped in inky darkness. If it weren't for the incredibly weak spiritual pressure coming from him, it would be easy to mistake him for a corpse. Yhwach sits on a throne of darkness, but his appearance shocks more than his calm. Pernida's shadowy presence hangs over his face, blocking his eyes. But that shadow spreads like a large cape, writhing around the black seat. Eerie eyes dot its surface, and each one is trained on Ichigo and his friends.

^Yhwach has been waiting. He knew they would reach him. He may not be able to see Ichigo's future, but he can definitely see his friend's futures. Standing from his throne, he welcomes the intruders to his palace, the origin from which the new world will sprout. Though he knows they won't take it, he offers them a chance to turn back and let the new world be born. Perhaps the unpredictability of one of the Special War Potentials can change the future he sees. Ultimately, he doesn't want to kill them. Chad and Orihime are humans, victims of monsters. Ichigo is tragic figure in his mind. To Yhwach, he is a human with a Quincy's soul that has been tainted by the powers of the Shinigami and Hollow. That forms the basis of his attack. He tells the youths that his new world will do away with the tragic cycle that gives rise to Hollows. No more will people be attacked or suffer for the Soul Society's ideal of balance.

^ For just a moment, Ichigo considers the Quincy's words. If there were no more Hollows, then no more people would be killed by them, like his mother was. People like Orihime and Chad, and the other Fullbringers, will no longer experience the trauma that gives them their powers. As much sense as it makes to do away with the system that maintains the existence of Hollows, though, Ichigo stands firm in his opposition to Yhwach's goal. The other two feel the same.

^ Yhwach sighs. So much for Ichigo's potential to change the future. Declaring that standing against him is a grave sin, Yhwach takes a step, and the inky darkness of Pernida spreads, wrapping itself around his body and probing the room with creepy tendrils. The number of eyes grows and Yhwach challenges Ichigo and his friends to stop him.

^Ichigo and Chad rush forward, delivering attacks from both sides. Yhwach turns away from Chad, letting his tendrils intercept the human while he blocks Ichigo's sword with his own. He rebuffs both attacks, sending Ichigo and Chad sliding across the room in opposite directions.

^ The Quincy King wastes no time in pursuing Ichigo, the biggest threat in the room. He raises his sword to strike but stops short as Orihime's Santen Kesshun covers Ichigo. Scowling, Yhwach fires an arrow at Orihime to get her to drop the barrier, but Chad dives in front of her, deflecting the arrow. This is exactly what Yhwach wants, though, and a cluster of tendrils attack the humans from behind. The moment the barrier is dispelled, Ichigo leaps forward again, making sure to keep Yhwach busy with an uninterrupted flurry of strikes.

^ Chad attacks Yhwach from behind, relying on Ichigo to hold the enemy still. Again, black tendrils rise to block the way, but Orihime clears the way with her Koten Zanshun ability, eliminating the tendrils with a cutting barrier. Reacting as if he knew this would happen, Yhwach pushes Ichigo away with more tendrils, then turns his sword on Chad. Orihime attempts to shield him, but the Quincy suddenly fires an arrow at her. Chad leaps to defend her again, leaving the safety of Santen Kesshun and allowing Yhwach to slash him and send him flying again. Ichigo manages to intercept the arrow heading for Orihime.

^ Ichigo and Orihime rush to Chad's aid. Orihime immediately starts to heal the gash in his shoulder while Ichigo stands between them and Yhwach. The Quincy gathers his tendrils, dozens of them rising and pointing at the group. At each of their ends, a phantom Quincy bow appears. They all begin to glow with a blue/white light. Anticipating an attack, Ichigo rears back, preparing his first Getsuga Tensho since receiving his new Zangetsu. Both Ichigo and Yhwach fire off their attacks at the same time. The clash creates a blinding explosion.

\- Ishida breathes heavily in a destroyed hallway of the Soul King's Palace. Despite the destruction of the surroundings, he isn't too badly hurt. A few scuffs and scratches, but nothing to be concerned about. What is concerning, however, is that Haschwalth doesn't have a scratch on him. Ishida needs a strategy to deal with an opponent much more powerful than himself. Not exactly new territory, but he isn't used to fighting Quincies in general, so he has very strategies.

^ Haschwalth swings his sword in a cross shape, sending two powerful blades of Reishi cutting through the air towards Ishida. As he continues to launch attacks, Haschwalth lectures. He says that what the Shinigami represent is not balance, but stagnation. It is a rotten world where nothing changes. The most important thing is the status quo. The world that the Quincy long for, though? That is balance. The living live. The dead remain as such. No ill intent or feelings of longing to muddy the space between. The Quincy, as individuals, are balanced from the start. Their abilities and humanity exist as separate, yet equal parts of their souls. It is the essence of who they are. Ishida has muddied his soul, and for that heinous crime and many others, he will face judgment.

^ Ishida avoids the attacks from Haschwalth's sword and draws his bow. He offers a counter point to the other Quincy's argument. He argues that his choices are balanced. His soul may be out of whack because of the inclusion of Shinigami power, but that is a small price to pay for the greater good. He tells Haschwalth about Ichigo's sacrifice in the fight with Aizen Sosuke two years prior. His friend and rival gave up all of his power to protect everything. And now Ishida is doing the same. That is balance. Both Shinigami and Quincy fight to protect, and now both a Shinigami and a Quincy have sacrificed to protect everything. It all balances out.

^ Haschwalth snarls, calling that kind of balance useless. Who cares if there is balance between the Shinigami and Quincy if the balance of the world is off? Ishida clicks his tongue. He decides that they will never be able to see eye to eye like this. He tells Haschwalth that his is the perspective of someone who lives in the world they are trying to destroy. His is the balance that matters most in the current world. Yhwach's perspective, and by extension Haschwalth's perspective, is skewed by their long absence.

^ A standoff ensues.

\- Orihime heals a battered Ichigo while Chad runs interference. They are caught in a cycle of defending and healing that gets worse by the minute. The amount of time Chad can buy Orihime to heal Ichigo is shrinking each time it happens. Having their movements foreseen is too big a hurdle to overcome.

^ Ichigo pushes out of Orihime's healing early. She protests, but he insists. Even if he isn't one- hundred percent, they can't keep going this way. Chad needs their support, and the only way they are going to escape this cycle is by forcing their way out. He charges, appearing from behind Chad's back and, surprisingly, catching Yhwach off-guard. Chad notices the Quincy's shock at Ichigo's appearance and formulates a risky plan.

^ Chad runs off, seemingly ignoring Yhwach all together. He positions himself on the other side of the room and starts to move as if he is fighting alongside someone, ducking, dodging, and diving to protect someone who isn't there from attacks that aren't coming.

^ Orihime is the first to figure out Chad's plan after Yhwach circumvents her barrier once again. She sends her ability to random areas around the room. Sometimes it is a barrier to protect, other times it is a reflective or cutting barrier. Occasionally, she kneels down as if to heal someone.

^ When Yhwach suddenly gets jumpy and pulls back, Ichigo understands. Yhwach can see Chad and Orihime's futures, but he can't see Ichigo in those futures. If the others act like they are fighting alongside or supporting him, then Yhwach will have to predict whether or not Ichigo will really be there when those futures come to pass. Ichigo plays along, randomly jumping between Orihime and Chad to confuse Yhwach's future sight.

\- Ishida and Haschwalth clash again and again. Neither is able to gain any ground on the other. However, Haschwalth notices that Ishida's spiritual pressure is gradually increasing.

^ As Haschwalth wonders where this extra power is coming from, Ishida offers an answer. He compares his current state to the Letzt Stil, a technique that allows a Quincy to increase their power past their limit, causing their body to cut off all Reishi collection, effectively sealing the user's power. There are two significant differences. One, his power will not be merely sealed at the end, it will be lost forever. His body will be unable to harness Reishi ever again. And two, the resonance between his Quincy power and the implanted Shinigami power will ultimately result in a much greater increase in power than the Letzt Stil could possibly offer.

^ They clash again, but this time, Ishida pushes Haschwalth back ever so slightly. To an outside observer, this exchange might seem like all the others. They come together, push on each other, then separate again. To Haschwalth, this is a severe blow. Especially because Ishida's power continues to grow. Pretty soon, he won't just match Haschwalth's immense power, he'll exceed it.

^ Ishida notices this as well, but he worries that it will still take too long to defeat this opponent. Haschwalth is possibly the strongest single opponent Ishida has faced, so he'll need an equal amount of power at least. But what if his power increases too much? What if his dueling powers reach critical mass just after attaining victory, or worse, just before? The worries of both fighters build up and they clash again, even more intensely.

^ Haschwalth's worries prove to be more potent as he puts everything he has into the fight. Using his immense power that still out-strips Ishida's, Haschwalth forces Ishida into a corner and prepares to deliver a killing blow. He declares that his balance is right and just, that those with the power to do so will tip the scales in their favor.

^ While Haschwalth prepares his final attack, Ishida reaches into a pocket on his waist and pulls out a handful of small vials. He drops one at his feet and rushes forward to keep the enemy's attention away from it. He clashes with Haschwalth again, and is once again repelled, this time to a different spot. He drops another vial and repeats the process, all the while Haschwalth is preaching his idea of balance.

^ After the sixth clash, Haschwalth stops. He sees what Ishida has done. Five Ginto dropped around him would mean the other Quincy intends to use the Sprenger technique. A bold move, to use such an outdated technique, but ultimately pointless, as he points out. With mere Ginto as the medium, the resulting explosion will be far too weak to do any real damage. Ishida agrees and begins to chant something under his breath. For just a moment, Haschwalth is confused, then he sees another Ginto vial fall to the ground at Ishida's feet. Six vials? If it isn't Sprenger, then what is it? Before he can spring into action and interrupt whatever Ishida is planning, the chant ends.

^ Light explodes from the Ginto vials and six silver ribbons shoot towards the center of the formation. The ribbons slam into Haschwalth and stop, suspended in the air. Haschwalth tries to push through the light, but he can't. He tries to shout at Ishida, to call whatever this is useless, but he can't. He can't move at all. Ishida breaths out, relieved. He tells the frozen Haschwalth that this was the only one he was able to figure out on such short notice, but it did its job wonderfully. Ishida cannot use Kido like a Shinigami, but with his hybrid Reiatsu he can adjust Quincy ceremonies to achieve similar effects. Though, the results are likely to be far weaker than the originals. Ishida introduces Haschwalth to his Sprenger/Rikujokoro hybrid.

^ Ishida draws his bow. He doesn't know how long his restraint will last, so he has to pour as much power as he can into this one attack. He draws back and an arrow appears. It has the typical blue/white glow at first, but small flickers of black grow more solid and intense until the blue/white of a Quincy's arrow becomes a silver bolt that is unique to Ishida. With an unsatisfied frown, Ishida concedes that Haschwalth's idea of balance is indeed effective, as he tips the scales in his favor. He fires the silver bolt and an immense wave of power pierces through Haschwalth, killing him.

^ Ishida rests his hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath. Using his hastily put together hybrid techniques was far more taxing than he expected. When he joins the fight with Yhwach, he'll be operating at a deficit. Powering through his exhaustion, Ishida makes for the Soul King's chambers.

\- Yhwach growls as he staggers back. He can no longer block all of Ichigo's attacks, and even the humans have managed to get a few good shots in. If things continue like this, he'll be overpowered before he can achieve his goals. Activating the Kamikake granted him an immense power, power to destroy Hyousube Ichibe, power to pull the Soul King's Palace down from on high, power enough to rend the Soul King himself, but he is not almighty. Not yet, anyway. The closer he comes, the closer Pernida comes to consuming him, so he must tread carefully so that he may absorb Ukitake's power and ascend before he is lost.

^ Yhwach dips a little further into the power of the Soul King's Left Arm and forces Ichigo and his friends on the defensive. With some distance, he can get a better idea of Ichigo's movements and use that information to figure out which of his friends' movements are feints. The number of eyes on the inky black surface of his cowl increases.

^ A two-part Getsuga Tensho slams into Yhwach's body as he tries to regain his footing, then a ranged blast from Chad's fist. Enraged, he retaliates, sending a barrage of black tendrils at the trio. Orihime's Koten Zanshun cuts them all away, however, opening the way for Ichigo to charge in. Yhwach tries to parry Ichigo's swords, but a surprise attack from Chad throws him off. He realizes that he can't keep track of the other two anymore as Ichigo's blades slash him.

^ Yhwach falls back onto a mat of squirming darkness. The eyes undulate and look about frantically as the direction of the fight becomes apparent. He feels Pernida pulling on him more and more. With each passing second more of his self is pulled into the Soul King's darkness. There is no time left. He must usurp the position of Soul King immediately.

^ The number of eyes explodes. The black surface of Yhwach's cowl becomes dotted with eyes ranging from small and inhuman to massive, godly things. His power, boosted by the Kamikake, surges out like the wind of a storm, pushing Ichigo and his friends away once more. The Quincy king stands with a roar, a crazed expression smeared over the uncovered parts of his face. All of the eyes turn towards Ukitake, and a massive cluster of tendrils shoots towards the holder of the Right Hand. At this point, his body should be so weak as to be vulnerable, allowing Yhwach to steal his power. Orihime's Santen Kesshun appears over the Gotei Captain, halting the tendrils for a time. But the squirming black spears continue to surge, and as they crash against the surface of the barrier more tendrils follow, slowly piercing the protective shield. The tendrils successfully drill through Santen Kesshun and once again shoot towards Ukitake. Ichigo and Chad move to stop them, but it is too late. A shining silver bolt blasts through the room, severing the tendrils attacking Ukitake and forcing them to dissipate.

^ All eyes turn towards the entrance. Ishida leans against the door, visibly exhausted and injured. His arm, holding his bow, hangs limply at his side. Yhwach roars again. The Kamikake eats more and more of him, causing his power to explode. Ichigo and friends have to brace themselves against the sheer pressure. Ichigo tries to push through, but he stops upon feeling what Yhwach intends to do. The Quincy intends to release his power in a massive blast that would absolutely destroy everything around him. Reacting quickly he grabs Chad and Ishida, pulling them together with Orihime. He tries to make for Ukitake, but the waves of Yhwach's power, completely overwhelming now, cut him off. Crowded into a Santen Kesshun barrier, the group awaits the imminent explosion.

^ Yhwach just about loses himself to the power coursing through his body. He'll use that overwhelming power to erase everything, then he'll take the power of Mimihagi. Darkness washes over him, lapping against his body and the surroundings like waves. Darkness wraps around his body, and he prepares to unleash the powerful explosion. But then the darkness constricts, holding his body in place. He frantically tries to figure out what is happening. Is Pernida taking him? No, it's still too early for that. He should have more time. Then, what? Yhwach's attention shoots to Ukitake, standing on shaky legs, and looking at the Quincy with clouded, but determined intensity.

^ Mimihagi reaches through Yhwach's soul, taking firm hold of Pernida's power. The two aspects of the Soul King's power begin a tug-o-war that is far more evenly matched than Yhwach thought possible. The weakness of Ukitake's body should have made his ability to resist Pernida's power laughable, especially with Kamikake active. But then, what if Yhwach also activated Kamikake and by chance surpassed the Shinigami's rate of absorption? Yhwach realizes his mistake as Ukitake begins to pull Pernida away from him. He pulled out too much power, allowed Kamikake to proceed too far, and opened himself up by allowing the Left Hand to consume too much of his body.

^ Feeling Pernida's power slip further and further away, Yhwach opts to flee. The connection between the two powers cannot be broken by distance, but being in close proximity can only make the process go faster. He should escape, recover, and wear Ukitake down over time. Yhwach aims his power at the ground beneath his feet, causing an explosion that, while far weaker than the one he wanted earlier, is powerful enough to send him far from the Soul King's Palace. As he flies, feeling the Left Hand being torn away from him, he curses the Shinigami.


	8. Chapter 8

**\- Fade -**

\- Ichigo stumbles to his feet following Yhwach's explosive escape. The blast wasn't enough to kill them, but both Orihime and Chad have been knocked unconscious. Rukia and Renji appear at the entrance supporting each other.

^ Immediately, the Vice-Captains rush to the group's aid. They quickly stabilize Ichigo and Ishida while taking care of Orihime and Chad. Ichigo gives them a rundown of what just happened.

^ Rukia notices Ukitake, now on his knees again. She rushes to him, but he stops her with a croaking voice. If she gets too close, Mimihagi might try to assimilate her as well. Ukitake calls Ichigo over and explains that he's at his limit. The Kamikake will consume him very soon and his control is stretched thin. Between keeping the Soul King's form stable and struggling against Yhwach's hold on the Left Hand.

^ Ukitake tells the group, meaning Ichigo and Ishida, that Yhwach must be defeated. If he isn't beaten soon, Ukitake will die and the world he is barely holding together will collapse. Rukia agrees to stay back to tend to Chad and Orihime while also keeping an eye on Ukitake. Renji wants to go with Ichigo, but his injuries are too severe, and Rukia could use his support, so he stays back. Ichigo and Ishida head out, trying to follow Yhwach's trajectory.

^ Ukitake waits until Ichigo and Ishida are out of earshot, then tells Rukia and Renji that no matter the outcome, he will need to become the new Soul King. Doing so will result in the loss of himself, but will save the world as they know it. Rukia grieves quietly, and Renji comforts her.

\- Yhwach lands hard some distance from the Squad 1 barracks. He rises to his feet, filled with destructive rage. Already, at this distance the pull from Mimihagi feels weaker, allowing him to use more power than he could have in the Soul King's Palace. Fuming at his desperate situation, Yhwach decides to demolish the Seireitei before returning to claim the other half of the Soul King's remaining power. Aizen Sosuke stands, or rather sits, in his way.

^ The greetings these two monsters exchange are civil, but laced with enough malice to knock the general masses unconscious. Yhwach, with his undulating black cowl, covered in monstrous eyes declares his intent to destroy the Seireitei, and wonders why such a great enemy of the Shinigami would stand in his way. Aizen, in response, simply points out that Yhwach's goal is to lord over everything, and that doesn't sit well with the man that nearly gained divinity himself.

^ Yhwach grows impatient with the Soul Society's traitor, and lashes out, bombarding Aizen with inky black tendrils.

\- Ichigo and Ishida rush over the Seireitei rooftops, following the convenient bursts of powerful Reiatsu. Ishida informs Ichigo that his power is at its limit. He'll only be able to fire one more shot. Ichigo nods quietly. They acknowledge the danger and the importance of the battle they are heading for. In order to ease the tension, they poke fun at each other, but ultimately, they recognize each other's growth.

\- Aizen emerges from a thick cloud of dust, standing on his own two feet. He thanks Yhwach for destroying the chair for him and thus giving him the means to defeat him. The combatants clash, causing a tremendous shockwave that levels the surrounding area. With Yhwach's aspect of the Soul King and Aizen's near godly Reiatsu, the two seem to be evenly matched.

^ Ichigo and Ishida arrive and immediately launch an attack on Yhwach between his clashes with Aizen. Yhwach rebuffs them with a slash of his sword, but dares not give them time to confuse him again. Before, it was just Ichigo, but with Aizen present as well, there are two opponents powerful enough to evade his future sight. The Quincy king rends the earth at his feet, pumping Pernida's power into the ground to create a zone of absolute influence. Tendrils with monstrous eyes sprout up across the battle area.

^ Dark waves of energy decapitate buildings in wide swathes as Yhwach slashes out wildly. Without speaking, Ichigo and Ishida fall into step with Aizen. The trio recognizes the necessity of cooperation. They systematically cut down and dismantle the zone that Yhwach set up.

^ Ishida tires to position himself to make a direct shot on Yhwach, but the other Quincy sees through his plan. Ishida's power is indeed great, but it doesn't quite reach the level of the Special War Potentials. Yhwach fires a blast of energy that would certainly kill Ishida, but Aizen deflects the blast. Keeping his distance, Aizen raises his hand and fires a powerful Hado spell. As the ground is once again scrambled, he rushes in. Yhwach puts all of his attention on his sealed attacker, however, and parries his strike, sending Aizen skidding across the ground.

^ Ichigo jumps in slashing furiously at Yhwach. He practically digs through a wall of tendrils before his swords collide with Yhwach's. Bringing out more of Pernida's power, Yhwach wraps his blade in inky darkness and forces Ichigo back, only to open himself up to another attack from Ishida. This time, though, the Reishi blade attack comes as a surprise to the Quincy king. He manages to deflect it and force Ishida away as well, but the exchange leaves him confused and concerned. Has Ishida suddenly grown powerful enough to obscure his future sight?

^ The pair continue to chip away at Yhwach's defenses, but they do so while taking plenty of damage themselves. Bloodied and beaten, Ichigo and Ishida are blown away by the ever increasing power consuming Yhwach. While Ichigo tries to stand, Ishida recklessly rushes in, only to be sent flying into the rubble surrounding the battle. With both Ishida and Aizen out of the way, Ichigo feels comfortable pulling out his trump card. He activates his true Bankai for the first time. The incredible power that surges through Ichigo's body immediately draws Yhwach's attention, and the Quincy throws all of his power at Ichigo.

^ With the increase in power from the true Tensa Zangetsu, Ichigo manages to repel Yhwach's attack. It isn't so powerful as to be effortless, but such an attack definitely would have killed him before. He charges, beating back Yhwach's frantic attacks until he stands before him yet again. He reels back to slash through Yhwach, but the ground beneath their feet erupts in a storm of black tendrils. The tendrils swarm Ichigo, suspending him in the air before Yhwach.

^ Yhwach declares that all of Ichigo's efforts are pointless, that he has already achieved victory. The moment he first received the power of the Soul King's Left Hand, the world was already his to destroy and remake. No matter how much Ichigo or any of the Shinigami struggled, fate would remain unchanged. Yhwach thrusts his hand into Ichigo's chest, punching a hole through his heart, leaving a gaping wound. In a crazed, triumphant shriek, Yhwach declares victory over Ichigo and this world of false balance.

^ Aizen chuckles. Following his ascension, he lost much of his control over his Zanpakuto's ability. Specifically, he can't actively see the illusions he puts people under with his perfect hypnosis. So the fact that Yhwach was seeing him as Ichigo makes him laugh.

^ Yhwach frowns as the illusion melts away, revealing Aizen held before him with a hole in his chest. Confusion briefly overpowers panic as he searches for the real Ichigo. When he finds him, he is stunned by the power. Both Ichigo and Ishida stand a fair distance away. Ichigo, with his Tensa Zangetsu raised high above his head collecting Reishi for a powerful attack, and Ishida, with his bow drawn, gathering a massive amount of silvery energy into a tremendous arrow.

^ Ichigo launches his Getsuga Tensho, sending a wave of energy tearing through space towards Yhwach. The energy wave crashes against Yhwach, blowing his tendrils away and holding him in place. The Quincy king struggles against the attack, but its power is so great that he can't force it to disappear. He might be able to deflect it if he used Pernida's power, but the Kamikake is so far along that doing so might spell his end. He screams pouring all of his own power into resisting the wave. Then Ishida launches his arrow. The silver bolt cuts through the air, gaining size as it does speed. By the time it reaches the back of the Getsuga Tensho, it is the size of a house. The two hybrid energies mix and fuse, creating a technique so powerful that Yhwach is engulfed. Pernida's power is stripped away from his soul, and every fiber of his being is vaporized. He tries to curse the Soul King and all he created once more, but he is gone before the thought even reaches his lips.


	9. Chapter 9

**\- To Black -**

\- Members of Squad 4 fan out into the area around the Squad 1 barracks. Vice-Captain Kotetsu commands the troops. Her exhaustion is pushed to the side as her determination to fulfill her duties swells. A frantic shout draws her attention.

^ Injured members of Squad 11, led by Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika, rush up to Kotetsu with their Captain on their backs. They plead with her to heal him. She agrees, having them set Squad 11 Captain Zaraki Kenpachi on the ground in front of her. She begins to work on his broken body immediately, deftly moving her hands and pumping Reishi into regenerative techniques that her Captain taught her. She is shocked when Zaraki, somehow conscious despite his injuries, tells her that Captain Unohana is dead by his hands. He then informs her that if there was ever a time to kill him, it would be now. She is saddened to hear of Captain Unohana's death, but not shocked. She knew that only one of them would return, and steeled herself for the possibility. She continues her work diligently as tears stream down her face.

\- Squad 12 Captain Kurotsuchi is jostled awake by an annoying voice. His body, having barely survived the effects of The Deathdealing, is only partially recovered. He will need more time before he can walk again. He opens his eyes just slightly and physically feels his condition worsen as he confirms the owner of the irritating voice is Urahara Kisuke.

^ Urahara introduces Squad 10 Captain Hitsugaya's new form, explaining how the work Kurotsuchi did failed to compensate for the limits of Hitsugaya's body, so he made some additional modifications to perfect the design. Kurotsuchi rolls his eyes. The last thing he needs right now is Urahara lording his superiority over him. He needs to get Nemu's brain into a preserving solution. He wants to get started on the next iteration right away. A chuckle from Urahara draws his attention back to Hitsugaya.

^ The thing is, although Urahara managed to perfect Kurotsuchi's design, Hitsugaya himself isn't super pleased with it, and is demanding to be turned back. The problem is, Urahara is unable to reverse engineer Kurotsuchi's work and can't turn Hitsugaya back without Kurotsuchi's help. Kurotsuchi is stunned for a moment. He quickly recovers, however, and relishes in the fact that he got one over Urahara Kisuke.

\- Captain-Commander Kyouraku walks among the ruins left by the final battle with Yhwach. He stumbles slightly, not fully recovered. He would have liked to have Vice-Captain Ise there to lend him her shoulder, but it would be too dangerous have her so close. He sits with a relieved sigh on an overturned wall and eyes the man he's come to meet: Aizen Sosuke.

^ Kyouraku watches Aizen approach, wary of what the partially unsealed traitor might try. He asks Aizen what he will do now that he is free from his restraints. Finish the Gotei 13 off while they're down, or maybe use the opportunity to usurp the Soul King? Aizen likes those ideas, but no. Accomplishing his goals while still mostly sealed would leave a bad taste in his mouth. He is in no hurry. He is immortal, after all. Kyouraku gives him cautious thanks for being so accommodating.

\- Orihime and Chad walk the streets supported by Rukia and Renji. After regaining consciousness, Orihime was able to heal them a bit, but with so much of Pernida's power lingering around them, her ability was less effective. Members of Squad 4 try to stop them, but Orihime is determined. She needs to find Ichigo and make sure he is alright. She trusts him enough to know he is okay, but for some reason, not seeing it with her own eyes is making her anxious. The others go along with her with much the same feelings.

^ The group bounces from cluster of healers to cluster of healers, growing more frantic each time Ichigo and Ishida don't appear. None of them will entertain the idea that they didn't make it. Suddenly, they feel a faint presence. Ichigo's Reiatsu. But it's so weak they can't pinpoint it. They spread out looking for their friends.

^ Despite her insistence that Ichigo and Ishida are alive, she can't keep the possibility that they aren't out of her mind. The more she searches, the more she pushes the thought away, the stronger it returns. Tears well up in her eyes as she turns yet another corner only find nothing. She calls out for Ichigo, desperate for a response. And she gets one. Ichigo, supporting Ishida on his shoulder, limps towards her. Despite the grievous injuries all over his body, he smiles warmly at her. Orihime dashes to the injured pair, tears of relief flowing freely.


	10. Chapter 10

**\- Ten Years Later -**

\- Captain-Commander Kyouraku Shunsui sits before a small shrine in a park within the Seireitei drinking sake. He is relieved to say that the reconstruction of Soul Society is finally at an end with only small projects here and there left to take care of. He regards a tall monument in the distance with a sigh. It's been 10 years.

^ Vice-Captain Ise Nanao tries to hurry Kyouraku along. They are running late. Kyouraku sighs, commenting about his own pace and how others fail to appreciate it. He bids the shrine, and Ukitake, who it is dedicated to, farewell, and heads for the Squad 1 barracks.

\- Squad 12 Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri oversees the reconstruction and expansion of the areas around his research facilities. Satisfied with the results, he calls for Nemuri Hachigo, still a little girl with a vibrant white streak in her hair, to come along with him. She follows, shouting enthusiastically. Former Sternritters Liltotto Lamperd, Meninas Mcallon, Candice Catnipp, and Giselle Gewelle trail behind her as attendants.

\- Squad 11 Captain Zaraki Kenpachi wanders the streets of the Seireitei. Members of his squad, including Vice-Captain Madarame Ikkaku and 3rd seat Ayasegawa Yumichika, trail behind him. Madarame questions where they are really supposed to be heading. Isn't the event being held at the Squad 1 barracks? Zaraki scoffs at the notion. The event is for the new Squad 13 Captain, so it will obviously be held at the Squad 13 barracks. He declares that they were always getting lost because of Yachiru before, so they'll have no problem getting where they're supposed to be now. Zaraki rushes ahead, giving Madarame no time to protest.

\- Squad 5 Captain Hirako Shinji and Vice-Captain Hinamori Momo watch the members of Squad 11 run the wrong way. Hinamori tries to go correct their course, but Hirako orders her not to get involved, otherwise they'll end up late as well.

\- Squad 10 Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro and Vice-Captain Matsumoto Rangiku run into Squad 7 Captain Iba Tetsuzaemon on their way to the Squad 1 barracks. They commend Iba on his determination to fit the role of Captain.

^ Squad 9 Captain Muguruma Kensei and his Vice-Captains join up with them on their way as well. Muguruma scolds Hisagi for not following Iba's example. Hisagi defends himself, stating that he's already mastered his Bankai, but nobody believes him. Hitsugaya comments on how peaceful its been for last 10 years.

\- Squad 2 Captain Soi Fon scolds the members of Squad 11 for arriving to the Squad 1 barracks late. Soi Fon and Zaraki butt heads, and Squad 4 Captain Kotetsu Isane tries to ease the tension, but her weak personality makes such a thing impossible.

\- Captain-Commander Kyouraku calls for the beginning of the ceremony. The Captains and Vice-Captains line up as the new Captain of Squad 13 enters. Captain Kuchiki Rukia stands at the entrance, pushing down her nerves and ignoring the teasing words of Squad 6 Captain Abarai Renji. She is sworn in, blushing with nervousness and excitement.

^ The Captains disperse following the ceremony. Captain Soi Fon and Squad 3 Captain Otoribashi Rojuro chat about Rukia leaving the moment the ceremony ended. They remark on her lack of downtime leading up to her taking the position of Captain.

\- Rukia and Renji arrive at the Kurosaki clinic and Ichigo greets them at the door. The clinic is quiet, save for the guests who have all gathered to watch Chad fight for charity on television. Kurosaki Yuzu and Karin bring snacks and everyone gathers to watch.

^ Ishida pulls out his phone on the roof of the hospital he is working at. He pulls up a stream of the fight. He can't gather with everyone else, so this is the next best thing.

^ Orihime enters the room, wiping her hands on an apron. Ichigo asks her where their son, Kazui, is. Asking that, Ichigo is reminded that Rukia and Renji were supposed to bring their kid along too, but she seems to have disappeared.

\- Kurosaki Kazui plays alone in his aunt's room on the upper floor of the Kurosaki clinic. He turns to find a young girl with a sword in a black kimono sitting on the desk. She introduces herself as Abarai Ichika, a Shinigami apprentice. When she asks after Kazui's name, he responds by summoning his own black robe and sword.


End file.
